Gods Within The Arc
by TheAztecLad
Summary: When the gods died or fade, due to the lack of worshipping, they travel the multiverse in search of a worthy host. One that can become a hero of legend. A hero that can save the lives of many. Unfortunately the gods don't have good communication with each other. And several gods have their eye trained on a particular blond kid. [T rating to be safe, might change in the future]
1. Chapter 1

_Gods Within The Arc_

Chapter 1

The Journey Begins

 _On Earth, there are millions of mythologies, each with their own pantheon of gods, their own creatures and monsters, their own heroes and champions. The stories and myths portray them all differently, but what happens when those heroes or gods die, what happens when people stop worshipping them? When the people stop believing on all this different mythologies, the gods fade and disappear but they don't stay gone forever. The souls and the essences of the gods travel the multiverse in search of a worthy host, one that will wield there powers and abilities. The host won't become as powerful as the gods were before, but they will be a force to be reckon with. Unfortunately or fortunately, depending on your point of view, the gods don't have good communication with each other. The serval gods have their eye trained on a particular blond kid._

* * *

It was a beautiful summer day in the continent of Sanus, the sun was shining, the birds were chirping and singing, and the flowers were at full bloom. Sadly, that was not the case for the small village of Bitterwood.

Screams filled the air, blood was scattered on the ground and on the walls of house and buildings. Many tried to flee, but that proved fruitless as the entire village was surrounded by the dark creatures that wage war against Human and Faunus kind. The Grimm. The local militia was trying to keep the Grimm at bay, local Huntsman were doing the same thing with varies degrees of success. Some of those belonged to the Arc family. A proud and humble clan of warriors and Huntsmen that date back generations. Johnathan Arc and Melissa Arc were at the front line and were dispatching Grimm left and right. Next was the first set of twins; Noir and Blanc, who came to visit all the way from Vacuo. Sadly, the elder Arcs were too busy and couldn't assist the reminder of the family.

A eleven year old blond boy could be see covered in sweat and blood, some which was his own. This is Jaune Arc. He was wielding his family's most prized possession; Crocea Mors.

Crocea Mors was in its sword and shield combo and was being used as good as a eleven year old could. Jaune was currently blocking a slash from a Beowolf. He successfully blocked the attack but had little time to react it slashed again, this time disarming him and only leaving him with his shield. He grab the shield with both hands and was ready to block or bash the dark creature. The Beowolf stepped closer and was ready to kill the small human who stood in front of him. Suddenly, a rock hit the side of its masked face, drawing Jaune and its attention to a female version of Jaune.

"Get away from my brother!" The female Jaune said while picking up more rocks and chucking them at the wolf-like-creature. This was Joan Arc, Jaune's twin sister. Jaune, while distracted was slashed by the Beowolf and sent a couple feet away from where his sister was. Jaune started to get up, wincing along the way. He felt heavy and his head was pounding, but he could still hear the screams of horror from his sister. He fell to the ground, wishing to be able to protect his family, to protect his sister. He felt powerless and weak, he had asked his father if he could train him how to be a Huntsmen ever since he heard stories from his grandfather.

But he didn't cut it, he was either to slow, to weak, got to distracted. He wanted to be a hero to make his family proud but also to protect people and ensure the safety of others. But every time he brought it up, his idea was shot down. And though to his weakness his sister and family will die. But in his darkest hour and lowest point, a voice spoke out.

" _Worry not child, for I am here. I shall grant you my power so that you may defend those you care about most. Simply speak my name and my power is yours to command."_ The voice said sounding wise and almost fatherly.

Joan was backing away from the Beowolf before tripping and landing on her bottom. More Beowolves joined in and where ready to devour the tiny human.

Jaune got up from where he was and saw some Grimm coming his way. He then remembered the words the voice said. He closed his eyes and found a name that he knew nothing about and smirked.

"Zeus!" Jaune screamed to the heavens and they responded by casting bolts lightning to the Grimm who were approaching.

Followed by this, a plus of white energy came from Jaune and he started to glow white too. Jaune started to levitate a couple feet from the ground and his hands were sparking with lightning. Gone was the clumsy and weak boy, now all that was left was a confident and powerful child. Jaune charged the lightning on his right hand and shot it forward at the Grimm hovering over his sister. The Grimm had no time to react and was stuck on his side, knocking it several feet away and killing it instantly. The rest of the Grimm stopped going after Joan and started charging Jaune instead, seeing how he was the bigger treat. Jaune charged too and grabbed an Alpha Beowolf by its paw and started flying up. Soon, he let go and the Alpha started to plunge to its doom but Jaune was not finished. He clapped his hands together and a bolt of lightning came from the heavens and struck the falling Grimm killing it and those who were below it. Jaune then flew down and landed on one knee, cracking his neck while he stood up. The Grimm are debated to be mindless and soulless creatures but even they could feel the power the was radiating out of the young Arc.

But where there is a flame of resistances, the Grimm would be to snuff it out.

The Grimm charged the young Arc making him smirk. The blond cross his arms over his chest forming an 'X'. He then moved his arms down while snapping his fingers. What followed was a 'X' made out of lightning electrocuting everything in its wake. Jaune then lunched forward at the Creatures of Grimm, he collided with a Ursa and processed to electrocuting it until its brain, if they have one, turned into soup. He spotted some Grimm were coming up on his flank ready to surprise him, but he has a surprise for them. He turned to his right and snapped his fingers while going on a horizontal line, this created a huge arch of electricity which quickly dispatch the Grimm.

Jaune then turned his attention to the skies and notice the winged beasts known as Nevermores. Nevermore were using the feathers as natural weapons, impaling innocents or preventing them from escaping. Jaune was ready to fly up to them and kill them but was stop when a voice, a different one spoke.

" _Heed my voice and listen, for I shall grant you power to take those things from the sky. Simply speak my name and snipe those creatures from the sky."_ Thenew voice said. This one sounded like a caring and prideful older brother, Jaune once more did just that.

"Apollo!" Jaune shouted the name and lo-and-behold a bow made out of light itself formed on his left hand and on his right hand an arrow made out of light too.

Jaune drew the bow and arrow and release it, letting it sore through the air hitting its mark. The arrow pierce the heart of the winged beast and Jaune repeated this action a couple of times. Four Ursai had snuck up behind Jaune and were ready to jump him but his reflexes proved to be much better than before. Jaune spun around with his bow facing horizontally with four arrows already drawn, and when they were release they pierced the heads of the bear creatures.

Jaune turned his attention to the front lines where his parents and older sisters where and saw a huge wave of Grimm coming in. But like last time before Jaune could try to dispatch of them, a voice spoke once more.

" _Stay your weapon, youngling. Utter my name and show those dark creatures the power of the sun. Show them that we are to be feared."_ A three voice said. This one sounded like the first, fatherly yet strict. Jaune would have question what was happing but the voice were giving him power and had yet to fail him. So, once more found the name and shouted.

"Ra!" Jaune shouted and if you were looking at the sun, you could that it glow a little brighter. Jaune put his arm out onto the sky almost like he was reaching to the sun itself. Jaune saw that the militia and Huntsmen either retreating or taking shot at the incoming horde. Jaune brought his arm down and yelled a catchphrase.

"Sun Beam!" Jaune shouted and the sun seem to explode. A massive shadow formed over the Grimm horde and in a blink of an eye, half of the Grimm were vaporized by a beam made out of sun. In its wake it only left ashes and scorched ground. Jaune was panting and sweating even more than before. But before could create another devastating beam, one more voice spoke. ' _This is getting annoying_.' Jaune thought.

" _Fret not, I am the last one for now. I am here to help you. All you have to do is say my name and power is your to command. Use the gift my mother gave onto me, use my immortality to your hearts content."_ This voice sounded innocent and brotherly. Yet it sound wise and fair. Jaune trusted the voices, they had yet to led him astray.

"Baldur!" Jaune once more shouted. Blue runes appeared all over Jaune's body. While Jaune switched from different powers and utterly destroyed the Grimm, people were staring in awe at the Arc's only son. The people of Bitterwood knew that Jaune had his aura lock and knew little to nothing about aura. Jaune's parents went so far as to tell the community to never mention aura in front of Jaune. To see the weak boy, who knew nothing about aura or semblances, wield such power with effectiveness and elegance, was shocking and awe inducing. Joan had a small proud smile on her face, she knew Jaune had untapped potential. To see Jaune tap into that potential made her happy and a tiny bit jealous. The sad part was she knew why her father didn't want Jaune to be Huntsmen. When Jaune was born, they ran some tests that would give a rough idea what his semblance would be and it was Aura Amplification. A semblance that is powerful in of itself but a semblance that has claimed the lives of many Arcs. This semblance was known as the 'Arc's Curse'. People believe that the Schnee have the only hereditary semblance but the Arcs have one too, one they keep it under wraps. Arcs who go out with this 'curse' don't last very long. Joan though it was unfair, to have your dreams crushed from the beginning but now….

* * *

Jaune shot forward leaving a small crater behind as well as a streak of blue. Jaune's fist shot forward and collided with the bone mask of a Ursa sending it soaring backwards. Another tried to bite the young Arc but Jaune put his arm out, letting the Ursa bite down with all its force. To its surprise and to the rest of the militia and Huntsmen, Jaune didn't falter and flinch, his arm was unscathed. Jaune processed to grab the beast with his other arm and twist it neck, killing it.

Jaune ran forward and punched a Beowolf on its jaw killing it and sending it flying backwards in a comedical fashion. The Huntsmen and local militia snapped out of their spunk and rushed forward. Jaune had given them an opening and they were going to make good use of it.

Jaune roundhouse kicked a Ursa into a guards spear and quickly followed by jumping several feet in the air, putting his hands together forming a hammer and bringing it down on the ground, stunning the surrounding Grimm to which the resistances force used to dispatch of them.

"Zeus!" Jaune yelled over all the carnage and started to shot lightning bolts in quick succession. And just like that it was over.

The people started to cheer or hug each other. Johnathan started approaching his son, while his wife went to make sure the rest of the family was safe, ready to give him the biggest scolding and hug a father could muster. Johnathan had tried to keep Jaune from the Huntsmen world. He wanted to protect Jaune at all coats, he wanted to keep him safe, he didn't want what happen to his brother to happen to Jaune.

Johnathan was about to call out to his son but Jaune's body went limp and was thankfully caught by his father.

"Rest Jaune, you deserve it." Johnathan said to his son though what he didn't know was that four other voices said the same exact thing inside Jaune's head. Johnathan smiled, knowing that Jaune somehow escape the 'Arc's Curse'. Perhaps, he could train him a little and see where it goes.

Joan smile, watching from afar. Now Jaune had a chance to fulfil his dream of being a Huntsmen. Destiny was always cruel with the Arcs but perhaps just for this one time, the gods were on their side. How right she is.

* * *

Author's Note

…And it's a wrap. Thank you for stopping by and reading this idea I had for some time now. Please leave some constructive criticism, for this is my first Fanfic. If you have tips to improve my writing do tell. I would like to make this story as awesome and appealing as possible. If you have any gods, creature, or heroes that you would like for me to add, leave a comment. Thank I'll see you next time.


	2. Chapter 2

_Gods Within The Arc_

Chapter 2

Awakening And Explanation

When Jaune came to, he was expecting to be laying on a comfortable bed recovery or in front of the gates to the afterlife. Don't floating in an empty white void. Perhaps he was dead? No, that wasn't it, something felt off. He had flied and levitated during his fight against the Grimm but now it felt odd and weird to be flying. He tried to go forward and ended up upside down. Four figures stood in front of him with amused grins, Jaune was able to catch a glimpse of them while going down. Now, with his feet to the sky and back towards the figures, he did the logical thing and tried again. That was a mistake. He started rotating slow at first but the more he struggled the faster he rotated. It got to the point where he thought he was going to puke out his lunch. The figures were either chuckling, giggling, or were at the full on laughter phase. After what felt like hours, Jaune stop and faced the four figures, able to see their features and clothing.

The first had long pure white hair that reached up until his shoulders, a full white beard, and white eyes. He was around 6'2 perhaps? He looked to be in his mid-forties. His skin was a healthy white and he was sporting a grin only a father could make. His build was that of a seasoned warrior. He was wearing a white shirt with their sleeves rolled up revealing leather bracers, caqui colored pants, and brown colored dress shoes. A golden necklace of a lightning bolt hung from his neck and over his chest.

The second one look to be 5'7 and had the build of an athletic man. He had short messy blond hair that looked like it was kissed by the sun, golden eyes, and tan skin. His clothes were simple, a plain orange T-shirt, brown shorts exposing his soft and hairless legs, and brown work boots. Like last time he had bracers but instead of being leather, they were golden. Tattooed on either arm was a black arrow.

The next one was quit surprising to him. It was a guy with a humans body and falcon's head. Now don't get him wrong, he knew of the Faunus but they only had animal characteristics, like a tail or ears, not full animal heads. Jaune blinked owlishly until the figure realized the problem and morphed his head to a human's head, all that remained were his single falcon eye. Jaune was in shock but decided to question his sanity later. He continued his inspection on the Faunus. He appeared to be 6'5 and was skinny yet had a toned build. He was missing an eye and was wearing a eyepatch, his unharmed eye was orange, he had brown hair combed to his right, and had coffee colored skin. He was wearing a long skirt warp around him, a leather belt keeping it from falling, and on his upper torso he wore a light white blouse with long sleeves. Hanging from his neck was a necklace made out of gold, it had an orange disk inside of a cobra.

The final figure was… beautiful. This young man stood tall like a noble yet was dress like a peasant. He looked to be around 5'10 and had an average build. His eyes were an ocean blue that held so much light and hope, his brown hair had been braided here and there, and his skin was a peachy tone. He wore dark pants with a brown sash leaving his top half completely exposed to the elements, along with brown viking boots. Blue rune where scattered all over his body.

" _Could you stop looking us over. You're going to make us blush."_ Joked the golden hair man.

Jaune snapped out of his daze and blushed with embarrassment for getting caught staring. The golden haired chuckle but received a smack from the white haired man. The Stranger with Blue Runes give a healthy chuckle at the two's antics. The Stranger turned to Jaune, who was still blushing and avoiding eye contact. He had seen Jaune's terrible social skills, or lack of them. So… if Jaune doesn't initiate conversation then…

" _Hello there Jaune, it's great to finally meet you."_ The Stranger said in calm and soothing voice. Jaune turned to the man and his eyes widen to cartoonish proportions. The voice was..

"Baldur?" Jaune asked innocently, like a child who forgot what his uncle looked like but knows how they sound. Baldur smile. His smile could warm the coldest of hearts and woo the fairest of maidens.

" _Let us introduce ourselves properly. I am Baldur, god of joy, light, purity, beauty and innocence. And the one who granted you immortality."_ Baldur concluded and gestured to the falcon Faunus to introduce himself.

" _Hello youngling, I am Ra; the god of the sun. It is a pleasure."_ Ra spoke in an old yetwise manner. He also did a little bow. The golden haired one took over.

" _Hi there, I am Apollo; god of music, poetry, art, oracles, archery, plagues, medicine, the sun, light, and knowledge. I hope we have great times together."_ Apollo said while sporting a cocky grin. The white haired man patted Apollo on the shoulder and took over.

" _I am Zeus; god of the sky, lightning, thunder, law, order, and justice. How about you pick up your jaw and introduce yourself."_ Zeus said in a friendly manner.

Jaune did just that. How couldn't he? He was in front of gods. The gods who help him save his family and village. He felt so small compared to them, literally and metaphorically. But with all the courage he could mustered, he spoke out.

"I'm Jaune Arc, heir to the Arc Family." Jaune said with as much power his little eleven year old voice could. The gods stayed quiet for a moment and Baldur spoke for the group.

" _Do you know why we are here?"_ Baldur asked, to which Jaune shook his head. He, himself was still trying

to figure out why the gods came to him specifically.

" _Well, I didn't expect you too. We are here, because we have either lost our worshipers or have died. Tell me do you know what the Multiverse is?"_ Jaune nodded his slowly. _" Good! You see when one of the two opinions occurs, our souls travel the Multiverse in search of a worthy host!"_ Baldur finished. Leaving a very confused Jaune.

"You find me worthy? How?" Jaune asked with a sadden expression on his face. He had good reasons to feel doubt and the gods knew why, but that was the reason he was worthy.

" _Tell us Jaune, what comes to mind when you think of Huntsmen?"_ This time it was Ra who spoke.

"Someone who is strong and brave. Someone who protects people?" It was more of a question then an answer. Jaune was still young and very scared due to the very presences of the gods.

" _Correct."_ Ra simply said and let Apollo take over.

" _Yet we choose you, we could have chosen a veteran Hunter or a headmaster or general. But we didn't, we choose you because…"_ He trailed off and let Zeus speak.

" _Because you are the things that define a Huntsmen. Tell me, do you know what your semblance could've been?"_ Zeus asked. Jaune simply shook his head, making Zeus hum in response.

" _You had the chance of developing Aura Amplification. A semblance that has claim the lives of many within the Arc bloodline. The same the claimed your uncle. The odds were against you from the very start."_ And with that, Jaune's world scattered like glass. Everything! Everything, Jaune ever did was in vain. But… he had an uncle? Jaune only knew his family. Janet the eldest, Noir and Blanc the first twins, Joan his twin, and little Jane. There was Grandpa Arc but that's all. Tears started forming on his eyes and threaten to escape but Baldur came to the recuse.

" _Yet what did you do? You fought when no one wanted you to, trained when they told you no, pushed yourself when people told you to give up and walk away. Huntsmen of today are nothing but people who abuse their power for their own sake! People become Huntsmen for the fight, for their own pride, to right there wrongs, to destroy the Grimm out of hatred but what of the people? Who defends them whenever the Huntsmen are at tournaments or seeking glory. Huntsmen are meant to put the people first, there desires last. But you, Jaune. You want to protect people, yes, you want to make your family proud but that's second. You would throw your life away for those you cared most about. Blood, sweat, tears, we have seen you and named you worthy of being our host."_ Jaune at this point had tears streaming down his face due to Baldur's powerful speech. They truly do believe in him. They were the only ones who ever believed in him, apart from Joan.

" _Now, Jaune Arc, do you accept our powers and do you accept in becoming our host?"_ Baldur's voice boomed in the void they were in. Jaune thought about it long and hard. With this he could protect people and prove that Jaune Arc has a say in his destiny. With a determined look on his face, he nodded.

" _Then let us begin."_ Baldur said glowing blue while Apollo glowed yellow, Zeus glowed white, and Ra glowed a pale yellow.

" _Jaune Arc, do you accept our gift onto you? Do you accept to be our host?_ " The four deities spoke at the same time, making the void in which they resided shake. Jaune was calm, he took a deep breath and answered.

"Yes, I accept." Jaune shouted as loud as he could. Four steams of power started to flow into him. He could feel the raw power traveling through him but he also saw glimpse of the gods life. Soon, it was over. Jaune could feel much stronger, stronger then when he used their powers for the first time. This is-

" _Now there are somethings we have to tell you beforehand."_ Baldur's tone was like parent trying to explain why little Roxy ran away.

" _One, now that you have our power, you will train your body, mind, and soul. The power you used in Bitterwood was but a fraction of our true potential. Two, there is a limited amount of time on how long our connection can last. The harder you train, the longer the connection between us. Three, because you of how many and how strong we are other gods may come to give you their power. You basically become a hotspot for gods or heroes. Four, the one that sucks the most, you have also gained my weakness to mistletoe. While we are connected stay far from mistletoe and let no one know our weakness. Do you understand?"_ Baldur asked Jaune. Jaune nodded his head rapidly. Baldur stood up and give a quick glance to the rest of the gods. It's time.

" _Now Jaune, do you have any questions?"_ Baldur cringed and so did the rest of the gods. And with that, the questions began.

* * *

Never mind. It wasn't that bad, not at all. Jaune gained some of their memories and only had a handful of questions such as:

"Are you from the same pantheon?" To which they replied with…

" _No."_

"What pantheons or mythology do you come from?"

" _Norse."_ Baldur replied.

" _Egyptian." Ra said proudly._

" _Greek!" Apollo and Zeus said pridefully._

"How can there be two sun god?" Apollo took it upon himself to answer.

" _We co-exist with each other. We rule our respected people but we can see what the gods people are doing but we can't involve ourselves with the people of other gods. There are rules that even we have to obey."_ Apollo said wisely. **(AN: I hope this is a good explanation. Sorry if it isn't.)**

Those were the one that matter either way. But now it was time for Jaune to wake up. They had kept him long enough. But before he woke up they had one last thing to say.

" _Train hard and push yourself to your limit. And remember, the gods are watching you back."_ The four gods said synchronized while waving at Jaune. Jaune on the other hand, closed his eyes and his body began to fade, until nothing was left.

* * *

Jaune's eyes started to open slowly, until they were fully open. He found himself in a small white room, with a small window, TV, and drawer with some flowers and a get well card and a book. Jaune pushed himself to a sitting position and scanned the room. No one was there, he was alone. Oh well, he can start reading this book left for him. As soon as he reached for the book, the door opened, revealing his dad and twin. They were looking at each other like deer in the headlights, but Joan broke the tension rather quickly.

All that could be seen as a yellow blur. Joan crashed into Jaune and began to sob. Johnathan decided to give the second pair of twins a little time to themselves.

"I-I'm so g-glad your o-ok." Joan said in between sobs. Meanwhile, Jaune was running his fingers through her hair trying to calm her down. A couple of minute passed and Joan calmed down enough to break the hug first. She started wiping her tears with her sleeve.

Johnathan cleared his throat, drawing the attention of both blonds.

"Joan, could you go see if your mother needs help with the wounded? Jaune and I need to speak." He left little room for argument. Joan nodded and left the room

An awkward silence filled the room after Joan left. You could cut the tension in the room with butter knife. Johnathan saw that Jaune was in no hurry to start the conversation so he took the lead.

"How are you feeling son?" Johnathan said trying to not sound uncomfortable while speaking. It was rare for them to have a son and father moment, due to Jaune becoming distant with him. He loved Jaune, but at times the feeling was not returned.

"I'm a bit sore and stiff. How long was I asleep for?" Jaune said trying to ease the tension.

"An hour or so." Johnathan's smile seemed a little to force. It felt like two strangers were taking to each other. Jaune had his reasons to become a Huntsmen but he had reasons to deny him. He didn't want Jaune to see the things he saw in the past. He want Jaune to stay innocent and pure. During his Huntsmen career he had to see a monster much more evil then the Grimm. Human and Faunus kind. When he closes his eyes he can still see their faces, after all this years. When he heard Jaune had a very high chance of developing Aura Amplification, the same semblance to claim his brother…

He couldn't bear to imagen Jaune going out into the world with that 'cursed'! He still had nightmares of when Jacob died. Alone, in a cave buried by boulders, one arm as free and it was used to operate a small radio. The heavy breathing, the sobbing, the denial, the anger, the Grimm approaching, the screams of agony. Silence.

…

...

….

"Dad? Can you tell me about my uncle, please?" Jaune asked, ocean-blue meet dull blue. Johnathan wanted to question but his gut told him he would find out soon.

"Sure thing son." Johnathan replied with sad smile. He pulled a chair and sat on it, thinking where to start.

"His name was Jacob. He had was... the most caring and honest man you could have met. But he was born with..." Johnathan trial off, tears threaten to escape.

"Aura Amplification, the 'Arc's Cursed', right?" Jaune asked while tilting his head. His gut was telling him to wait, the answers will be given to him soon.

"Yes, he was born with that wrenched curse! But that didn't stop him from becoming a Huntsmen. He trained every single day, he even joked that if he trained to hard he'd go bald. Hehe, him and I went to Beacon together. We were in different teams, we were always trying to one-up each other. Your mother and I were in the same team." Tears were falling freely and landing on the ground. But he continue.

"A little after we graduated, we were asked to help the settlement of Mt. Glenn. They were having problems with the Grimm. It started off normal but it then descended into a living nightmare. We tried to evacuate via the tunnels that connected Vale and Mt. Glenn." Johnathan face contorted from a sorrowful look into a look of disgust and hatred.

"But the Council though it was too dangerous. Vale could have been attacked but it would have survived., but they choose their sorry asses over the people. They bombed the tunnels causing them to cave-in. Jacob was buried by the rubble, his semblance was useless, we couldn't get to him in time." Johnathan concluded the story. Jaune had his eyes closed and had a sadden look. Now it was time to get some answers.

"How did you know about your uncle and about Aura Amplification?" Johnathan questioned. The only ones who knew about the cruse where him, his wife, Janet, and Joan. And the only ones who knew about Jacob were him and Melissa.

"My semblance, it evolved. It allows me to use the power of warriors that long of past. The spirits spy on you and found out, sorry." Jaune said, faking feeling ashamed to intrude on his family's privacy. The gods were actually impressed with Jaune's quick thinking.

"Is that how you took all those Grimm!? And with all those weird names." Johnathan asked. That was impossible! A semblance can't evolve, that's unheard of. Unbeknownst to him, four gods were glaring at him and if looks could kill, Johnathan would be in Tartarus, the Duat, or Helheim, depending on what god you were.

"Yes. I don't know why my semblance changed or evolved. Perhaps, I'm special." Jaune said, trying, and succeeding to not smirk. The gods within his mind were very proud of him right now. Johnathan thought about it, maybe, just maybe, luck, fate, gods, or whatever had been merciful. They saw how the Arc's suffered and decided to be nice this one time.

"Yeah, I guess you are." Johnathan said while getting up, ready to leave his son so that he could rest. But he was stopped.

"Dad, can I become a Huntsmen." Jaune's voice was innocent and if you payed close attention, you could hear the pleading. Johnathan was conflicted, on one hand he didn't want his son to see the darkness of his world but on the other hand, Jaune saved a lot of people today. Jaune could become a symbol of peace, a pillar that people can rely on. Johnathan knew the answer already, Jaune could save thousand if not millions. If you was kept locked away, he would just run away from home. If Jaune doesn't become a Huntsmen, people will die. He had made up his mind.

"Sure. But try to keep up." He shot Jaune a smug look before leaving the room, leaving Jaune alone.

He had the power of gods, a veteran Huntsmen as his mentor, and the support of his family and the gods within him. There was only one thing that worried

Jaune...

Training was going to be hell!

* * *

Authors Notes

...And it's a wrap. Holy Hell! I was not expecting this story to blow up so quickly. The support for this story was incredible. Thank you all! Please leave a comment and some constructive criticism. If I did a typo or if misspelled something. If you tips, please do tell.

Who do you think Baldur was taking about during his rant. PM me if you have a guess, your reward is a cookie!

Now on to the reviews from last chapter.

 **Rwby1989: It bugged me how he knew nothing about combat, aura, or semblances. So I decided to make a little twist. (Laughs like a madman) You bet he will, but will he be a foe or a friend. MAHAHAHA!**

 **Death Korp Commissinar: Yes, Jaune can died by mistletoe just like Baldur did. He even warns him about it in this chapter.**

 **Bad Toper: (I hope that's your name) Thank you for the criticism. Don't worry, Jaune is going to have to face treats much bigger then Salem. Jaune won't just get a new god every time. (It may as well be a game of Guess Who) He will need to use his wits to survive. Like Baldur said his power will have drawbacks. He won't be able to use a new god without hurting himself or others.**

 **Penmaster Cole: I Hope Apollo give an good explanation. But if it's combat we'll have to see in the future.**

 **Adislt: Thank you**


	3. Chapter 3

_Gods Within The Arc_

"Speaking"

" _gods/heroes speaking"_

' _Thinking'_

" **Monster/Creatures"**

Chapter 3

Bitterwood's Tranquility

Part 1

 _4 years later_

Jaune could be seen in front of a huge old oak tree. The tree had scorch marks, arrow holes, bite, and claw marks. Jaune had use this tree to practice with different gods within him. Right now, Jaune was doing a headstand while going down, then right back up. The first two years of Jaune's training had been very hard to adjust to. He had to wake up at the break of dawn, had to be on a very strict diet, and he had to receive beat downs every single day. But the training had paid off.

He'd become much faster, stronger, and smarter. But Jaune didn't just absorb Apollo, god of light, the sun, plague, and archery. He also absorb Apollo, god of music, medicine, poetry, art, oracles, and knowledge. Sadly, Apollo told him that his oracle powers could only work while he was asleep, and nothing had come to him yet. Jaune could pick up any instrument and be able to master it in a matter of days. He had also become a very talented writer and artist, though he has only painted one picture, which involved his whole family. That included little June, who is only four years old as of date. He was so talented at writing, he even wrote a book title; Mythologies Of Old. He had also inherited other traits, like Baldur's kindness and Zeus's sense of order and justice, though that doesn't mean Jaune won't break the rules occasionally. Thankfully, he didn't inherit Zeus's, as Apollo likes to call it; Not Being To Keep It In His Pants Syndrome. Jaune just calls it the Zeus Syndrome.

After Jaune did enough push-ups, he stood up normally and faced the tree. The tree had taken four years of abuse, from been hit with lightning, arrows, punched, burned, bitten, and slashed with sword and claw.

Today was no different...

"Baldur!" Jaune bolted forward, reeling his fist backwards before colliding with the old oak tree. The Old One, as the locals call it, didn't falter. Quickly jumping back, Jaune prepared for the next attack.

"Ra!" Jaune extended his right hand and on his palm three orbs appeared. The three orbs flew from his palm to the base of The Old One, in which upon contact the orbs exploded. This was a technique Jaune had created; Mini Sun, a small miniature version of the sun. They weren't as destructive as Sun Beam, but they still had the same destructive capabilities of a hand grenade. Sadly, he could only produce three at a time. Next up is...

"Zeus!" Jaune stretched out his hands and started to fire out bolts of lightning. Jaune decided to push himself this time, firing fifty bolts per hand. Jaune could already see the effects of doing such action. With every power there is always a downside, prolong use of Baldur's power makes his whole body numb, making it hard to move or downright making it impossible. Ra's downside is that he gets a very painful sunburn. Zeus's drawback is that he becomes a twitching mess and can get spasms too.

Apollo's downside isn't as bad, if he uses the plague arrows for to long, he can get a fever. Speaking of Apollo...

"Apollo!" Jaune readied himself like he was going to use a real bow. The Light Bow appeared and Jaune began firing, due to Zeus's drawback, his aim was not perfect. After thirty arrows, the bow vanished. Now, you would expect it to be over, right? Well, a lot can happen in four years.

"Hephaestus!" Jaune did the same as Zeus but instead of lightning, fire shot out. Jaune could already feel and see the first degree burns forming. Stopping before the burns got worse, Jaune concentrated on his last deity.

"Loki! Fenrir! Jörmungandr!" Jaune shouted the name of the last god in his roaster. A wolf and serpent appeared at his side. Fenrir had beautiful emerald eyes and fluffy black fur. It was 2.5 tall and 6 feet long. Its claws were as sharp as knifes and tough as steel. Jörmungandr had blazing orange eyes and ghostly pale scales with some green scales under its chin. Jörmungandr was the size of a full grown anaconda.

The two ferocious beast attacked the poor Old One, slashing and biting it. When Jaune thought it was enough, he dismissed the children of Loki. It was odd. A year after he started his training, he was visited by Hephaestus and Loki, and it was very... awkward to say the least.

* * *

 _Flashback_

A twelve year old Jaune was chilling in his bedroom while Joan and the rest of his sisters had a little get together. He was reading the newest chapter of X-Ray and Vav. A small and quiet hiss snapped Jaune out of focus. Jaune looked over and saw a small snake on the floor, looking at him in infinite curiosity. He would have shooed the small creature but his gods insisted him to pick it up. And he obliged. He put hands out and the little thing slithered on and seemed to be enjoying himself. Jaune admired the gorgeous creature but a small chuckle made him turn so fast, it give him whiplash.

A man around 6'2 and had an average build. Probably in his mid-thirties. He had mischievous black eyes, black hair combed back, and a smug grin. His attired was colorful to say the least. Black pants, black shoes, a fancy looking watch, a dark green vest over a green shirt. But what interested Jaune was the neckless that resemble a spear, made out mistletoe. Before the new figure could speak, a very pissed off Baldur materialized.

" _Hello Loki."_ Baldur said with hidden venom. The now named Loki paled and started laughing. Nervously.

" _Ah Baldur, hehe, I d-didn't know you w-where here."_ Loki took several step back and was sweating profusely. Baldur narrowed his eyes and took a step forward before Jaune stop him _._

"Hello Mr. Loki, how can we help you?" Jaune asked. Due to having multiple gods, Jaune was not only trained in the art of combat but also in proper and elegant manners that were way above that of a twelve year old. Jaune had mature quickly and it was thanks to the gods.

" _Well, I guess we go straight to the point."_ Loki suggested. He straighten his attire and cleared his throat. _"I am Loki; the god of trickery. I have come to you, Jaune Arc, so that you may become my host."_ He concluded with a suave and charming smile.

" _Ughh, why are you so formal."_ A new voice spoke out. Everyone turned and saw a hunched man with a friendly smile.

The man, in the past could have been 6'5 but now he couldn't tell. He seem to be starting to gain some weight and to lose some hair too. He looked to be in his fifties or sixties. His hair was black with some grey in some parts, one of his eyes was a milky white while the other was black. He was wearing a red shirt with its sleeves rolled up, over it was a blacksmith apron, black pants, and brown work boots.

" _Hello, I am Hephaestus; god of fire, metalworking, stone masonry, forges, the art of sculpture and blacksmiths."_ Hephaestus smile. He seem to be man how worked hard to make the best weapons and armor _._ Zeus appeared at the other side of Jaune and was shaking a bit.

" _H-Hephaestus!"_ Zeus shrieked. Hephaestus turned and shot a dirty look towards Zeus. At this point, Jaune was extremely confused.

"Wait, how do you know each other?" After Jaune asked this innocent question, all hell broke loose. That day Jaune got the worst fever he had ever gotten. It was the second most stressful week ever, of all time.

 _Flashback Ends_

* * *

Jaune fell back and laid on the ground, contemplating how far he got. After accepting Loki's and Hephaestus's power, everything got easier and complicated. Jaune wanted to immediately learn to use Hephaestus's and Loki's power, that was a big mistake. Jaune ended up severally burning his hands and started see things that weren't there. He now could use fire for a short time. With Loki's power, he couldn't use illusions yet, Loki even forbid the use of his illusions. All he could do was use Fenrir and Jörmungandr for now. When Jaune asked about the two beast, Loki replied; that Fenrir and Jörmungandr where his children and weren't gods, therefor they were an extension of him.

Jaune had to train hard to be able to summon Fenrir but it payed off rather well.

"I thought you were supposed to be training! Get up you lazy twat." A voice called from behind. Jaune got up and turned seeing his twin sister pouting with her hand on her hips. She was wearing teal shorts, black sneakers, and a green t-shirt with a boy band on it called 'Archive Men'. Jaune still couldn't believe it, even after three years. Now he wasn't alone and could rely on her. Joan was a god user. A host like him.

* * *

 _Flashback_

Jaune and Joan were in their bedroom doing whatever didn't bored them. Though, Jaune was worried about his sister, and rightfully so. Joan had said she was getting some weird dreams about a man on a lake and a man with horns controlling nature itself. His family send her to a therapist, fearing that she may have some mental scars after the attack on Bitterwood. The doctor said she seem fine and might be due to stress.

But Jaune's gut feeling was telling him another thing.

Joan grabbed the side on her head in pain. Jaune was the only one in the house and the only one that could assist her. Jaune ran to his sister's side to try to help her. Suddenly, Jaune was flung back, hitting the wall.

Jaune looked at his sister, only to see two new figures.

One had horns and instead on leg, he had hoofs. He was around mild-thirties and was about 6'2. He had brown hair and eyes. The only thing he was wearing was an orange t-shirt. He also had a circlet made out of flowers.

The other looked to be a kind old man. He was wearing a black kimono and black shoes. He had grey eyes, was bald, and had a sick white goatee. He give an aura of peace and tranquility. Joan looked up at the figures in awe.

" _My name is Pan; god of nature, the wild, shepherds, flocks, and of mountain wilds. Pleasure is all mine."_ Pan bowed, amazing Jaune and Joan.

" _Greetings young one, I am Suijin; god of water. It is a honor."_ Suijin bowed like Pan, Joan open her mouth to speak, only to pass out on the floor.

" _I think we broke her."_ Pan commented while Suijin and Jaune facepalmed.

 _Flashback Ends_

* * *

That had been the worst week ever, of all time. But Joan got used to the whole god thing, though she was a tiny bit smug. She witness Jaune getting injured by mistletoe while in Baldur mode and since she has a god of nature, it gives her a big advantage.

"I just finished. Give me a break, I just finished. Go bother someone else." Jaune wave his sister away and turn his back to her. What he didn't see was Joan smile smugly.

"Well if your too tired, the package you received can stay right where it is." At that comment, Jaune bolted up and was gone in a blink of an eye, leaving a laughing Joan to chase after him.

When they both made it home, they saw a small box sitting on the counter on the kitchen. The box contained Jaune's one-and-only masterpiece.

Jaune went to the box and open it. A beautiful bowie knife sat inside the box. Jaune and Hephaestus had proud smiles on their faces, because this was no ordinary knife. Yes, it could mecha-shift but that's not what made it special. It what it was made off.

Damascus Steel and this was the only weapon made out of Damascus Steel. Now, you can't just make a new type of metal and not go unnoticed. Word got around and every kingdom wanted to get in on this new metal. To this day, Atlas still tries to persuade him to tell them how to make it. And he said he would, if they could him one question...

How many seconds of time are there in eternity?

To which many dropped the topic and moved on.

"It's beautiful." Joan said behind Jaune. The bowie knife was entrusted to a family friend so that it could be painted. It was red and golden protective rune, it could also turn into a revolver. "What are you going to call it?" Joan asked while trying to get a better look at the knife. Jaune smiled, knowing the gods would be proud of this name.

"Theós." Jaune said, holding up Theós up in the air.

"Very well, let's get going. We don't want to be late, now do we?" She said rushing out the door, Jaune stepping on her ankles. It was time to hunt. But more dangerous creature then the Grimm lurk the shadows, what will our hero find?

 _To be continue..._

* * *

Author's Note.

...don't kill me. Sorry but I had to cut this chapter in half because of two reasons. One, I got very sick and Two, because I love cliffhangers. Anyway, yes, Jaune has Loki in his roster. And a blade made out of Damascus Steel. He does have Hephaestus, and Damascus Steel has always fascinated me. Also, would it be okay if I include folklore into this story? Leave some constructive criticism and PM if you have a question. There might be a lot of errors but I don't have a beta. Also if you know who Jack Wayne( artist from DeviantArt and very good) could you tell him that I would like for him to help me but...I can't reach him. Please, I ask for your help.

 **Now on to the reviews of last chapter.**

 **Wagner: Well I don't about that but I could make a omake or something. Just for you. My money is on a draw.**

 **Hirshja and Exs-DrIFTeRr: Yeah, I had the same idea. Thanks for pointing it out. But I'll probably do it only to introduce new gods/heroes. Though I'll do it rarely.**

 **Perseus Pendragon: Would it be okay if I used a modified version of your name for a OC that will appear in the future.**

 **TheAwsomest5: HELP! I can't do this much research alone.(Sobs in the corner.)**

 **Penmaster Cole: Thank the gods!**


	4. Chapter 4

_Gods Within The Arc_

"Speaking"

" _gods/heroes speaking"_

' _Thinking'_

" **Monster/Creatures"**

"Voice over radio"

Chapter 3

Bitterwood's Tranquility

Part 2

It was finally time to go on their first hunt. Jaune and Joan were quit nervous, rightfully so. They were going out with the captain of the local militia, Mason Todd. Captain Todd is an ex-general of the Valen Army, a very well decorated one to top it all off. Captain Todd could rival General Ironwood or the Arc's in strategical prowess. Jaune and Joan were wearing the same exact outfit. Jeans, black sneakers, and a black hoodie with the Pumpkin Pete logo proudly shown in the middle.

Jaune had Crocea Mors attached to his left hip and Theós rested a little lowered on his thigh. Joan had a katana resting on her left hip, similar to Jaune. Joan's blade was named Tsuin. It's blade was pure white while the handle was jet black with a small black chain hanging from it. It's sheathe was black with the Arc symbol on the middle. The twins were making their way to the outskirts of Bitterwood to meet up with the hunter party.

"Are you nervous?" Joan asked, trying to break the ice that had formed a while back. The Arcs were known to be many thing, one of them being socially awkward.

"Yeah, but I mean aren't you?" Jaune asked while missing with the hem of his hoodie. Captain Todd was man that was respected and feared.

"Y-yeah, a little. But we got this." Joan reassured Jaune. Jaune and Joan kept walking in a comfortable silence until they reached their destination. A group of around ten soldiers were standing idly while a tall man with a fox tail surveyed the area, spotting them in the process.

"Ah, the Arc twins. Are you ready to go?" Captain Todd asked. The twins nodded wordlessly.

"Move in then. We're wasting day light!" Captain Todd commended. The group formed a back-to-back circle, with the twins and Captain Todd at the front. The company started moving into the forest and into the belly of the beast. What they didn't see was a cloaked figure watching them from afar.

The company went deeper and deeper into the forest, until they all stopped dead in their tracks. They waited and waited, listening to the wind and occasional snap of a tweak.

A Beowolf jumped from the bushes but was quickly gunned down by a soldier. Their prey was a pack of Beowolves. May the hunt begin.

More soldiers started firing at the creatures of Grimm. A Beowolf broke through the gun fire and begun charging Jaune, Jaune unsheathe Crocea Mors but didn't go for the shield comb instead he charged electricity on his left hand and shot it forward. The Beowolf was stunned, allowing Jaune to sidestep the charging wolf and decapitating it.

Joan was fairing off quit well, using her control of nature to create tendrils made out of wood. A small Beowolf snuck up behind her and pounce her but before it could reach her, wooden spikes came from the ground and impaled it. Captain Todd was using his duel pistols to gun down any and all Grimm. When he went to reload, a Beowolf ceased this opportunity and lunged for the legs. Todd merely sidestepped and kicked the wolf.

"Jaune, heads up!" Jaune turned and saw the incoming airborne Grimm and got a wicked idea. Jaune jumped and roundhouse kicked the poor bastard in the direction of his sister. "Coming your way sis!" Jaune shouted over the gun fire, allowing Joan to hear and noticed the flying pup.

Grabbing the hilt of Tsuin and pouring some aura into her legs, she waited for the right moment. Now! Joan dashed forward and dissected the Beowolf. The fight didn't raged on for long. Everyone was huffing and puffing, bullet shells and Grimm corpses littered the forest.

"At ease men. Arcs, good job on your first hunt. Sorry if it was a small pack, we couldn't find a bigger one." Captain Todd apologized.

"It's no problem captain. A small hunt is still a hunt" The twins said at the same time. They looked at each other and giggled. They started moving towards the village, breaking formation and having their weapons holstered or on safety. But they all suddenly stopped when they heard what sounded like wailing.

The company insistently took out their weapons and a first aid-kit. They moved to their left, the wail grow louder and louder until they reached a small clearing. A woman with white hair and a white dress was on the ground crying. A man holding a small first aid-kit approached her.

"Ma'am, I am here to help you. Are you alright? Are you hurt? What happen?" The man asked but got no replied. The woman kept crying, so the man approached her and was about to turn her around. When suddenly she turned and screamed at the man, sending the man flying into a tree. The woman turned towards the group and screamed there way.

Jaune used Baldur's power just in time. Everyone covered their ears to no avail. They were all screaming in pain, especially the Faunus. Everyone dropped to the ground, some were bleeding from their ears. Jaune recognized the creature, it was a Banshee. He couldn't switch to any other god, if he did he would suffer the same faith as the rest of the company. He was stuck fighting like this. May the real hunt begin.

The Banshee walked forward and stared at the incapacitated soldiers like they were a taste looking treat.

" _Jaune, we have to draw it way from the others!"_ Loki urged. Jaune didn't need to be told twice.

"Hey, you ugly bitch!" Jaune called out. The Banshee turned and lunged at him, taking both of them deeper into the forest. If Jaune would have looked at the ground, he would have seen small little cotton plants growing.

The Banshee tackled Jaune into a new clearing. The Banshee took Jaune into the air before dropping him.

Jaune landed with a very loud thud, thankfully he couldn't feel anything. The Banshee landed in front of him and shrieked as loud as it could. Jaune was unaffected and simply got up without a scratched.

' _I can't draw the fight for to long. I have to finish this and it has to be quick'._ Jaune thought. The gods were each trying assist him in any way they could, but without being able to access their power, this proved difficult.

The Weeping Lady rushed and punched Jaune strait in the gut, it didn't hurt but it they send him flying backwards. Jaune rolled but recovered and bolted forward. Jaune infused his fist with aura and was about a couple of inches away from hitting it, but it's scream send him away once more. Jaune got up and tried to come up with a plan. This fight could not go on for long.

* * *

Joan started to get up and she took a look around. Some soldiers were sitting on the ground with dazed out looks.

"-oan, Joan!" Joan looked up and saw Captain Todd crouched down, giving her a concerned look. "Are you okay?" Todd asked the twin. She could hear him but she could also hear a ringing too.

"Where's Jaune?" Joan's voice was low, so low she thought she hadn't spoken at all.

"I think he drew that bitch away. I'm going to chase after him." Todd was about to leave when Joan grabbed his sleeve. Todd turn and saw Joan offering he some cotton. Todd was perplexed at first but soon understood what she met.

"I'll be back with your brother." Todd got up and started following the path of destruction left behind.

All he hoped was that he wasn't too late.

* * *

Jaune finally managed to land a solid hit but Baldur was warning him that his drawback was already kicking in.

His left pinkie was going numb, if the battle dragged on, he would be incapacitated. He would die and so would everyone else. He hadn't come up with anything, no matter what he did. The Banshee always seemed to be a step ahead of him. Jaune didn't notice but behind a tree a cloaked figure was watching him with a smug smirk.

The blond host and the weeping lady rushed forward but at the last second Jaune slid on the ground and spinning and quickly changed to Hephaestus to cast a fire ball that the weeping lady. The fire ball connected and making the Banshee stumble and scream blindly. Jaune switched back to Baldur and took the scream like it was nothing. The Banshee recovered and tackled Jaune into the ground and using its long nails, it started slashing at him. **(AN: Ala hunter form Left 4 dead)**

The Banshee was relentless and merciless with its assault. Jaune had put his arms in front of him, just in case his defense broke. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the cloaked figure idly standing there, not even lifting a finger to help. The figure smirked before walking off into the wilderness. Jaune was trying to think of a solution out of this.

' _I could switch to Zeus and let my aura tank the blow.'_ Jaune thought. He could grab the Banshee and electrocute her. But that could have worked if he had a little more aura. If he went along with this plan, his aura would shatter instantly, leaving he severely injured. Suddenly, a gunshot struck the shoulder of the Banshee. The Banshee stopped its attack and scream at the one who dare interrupt her. Captain Todd dug his heel and stood firm. He resumed shooting the weeping lady after the screaming stopped. The Banshee was forced off of Jaune, allowing him to assess to situation. He switched to Ra and created Mini Suns, allowing them to fly over and exploded.

When the dust settled, the Banshee was on the ground motionless and still.

"Jaune! Are you injured?" Todd asked. Jaune just shook his head slowly and saw the cotton in the captains ears. Jaune turned to the Banshee and saw that it was disintegrating like the Grimm.

"Jaune, let's go. The others are waiting." Todd suggested. Jaune nodded wordlessly and started following the captain.

The same figure that had been observing Jaune now had a look of annoyance. He took out a small radio from within his cloak and spoke.

"Mission is a failure. The target is still alive. Should I end him?" He sounded like a well-educated man but at the same time he sounded mad. Whoever was at the other end replied.

"Stand down Set. We will deal with him at a later time." The voice sounded distorted and deep. Set stared at the general direction where Jaune and Todd had left.

"Set, you must trust me. Our plan will take time to bloom. Ozpin and Salem still don't trust you but in time they will." The voice reassured Set. They had been planning this for some time now, and they sure as hell were not wasting this opportunity.

"What about the Heroes Of Old?" Set asked knowing this community had and is a torn on their side.

"We will deal with them at a later date. Come back to base." The radio then went silent and Set sighed and walked off.

When the company came back, the rest of the militia and some locals were waiting for them. The company explained what had happened, Captain Todd snapped a picture of the Banshee and showed it around. The locals saw her hollow black eyes and sharp nails. Captain Todd was planning on going to the Council of Vale to show this creature. He would defiantly have Ozpin backing him up. Todd looked to where the Arc twins were. Joan and Jaune were being hugged by their mother. Todd would write a letter of recommendation for the two. Joan and Jaune were strong apart and they were a force to be reckon with together. If more of those creatures existed, then those two were going to be a good weapon against them.

...

...

...

He had been walking for some time now. Hopefully the others were save. He looked to his left and saw a man being robbed. He wanted to help but...

" _If you help him, more we come and make it harder for him"_ A voice spoke from within his mind. Dull orange continued looking on before facing forward and walking off. He had his reasons to be in Shino, he had a lead and he was going to follow it. If it meant saving one of his people, he would do absolutely anything. The people of Shino looked at him in fear or hatred. He could not blame them, they have probably heard the stories. The stories of the blades on his back. How, in another life they brought nothing but death, anarchy, and disorder. He would repent and do something with his life. He would help those like him, feed them, train them and take care of them. He would not let the stories of his blades get to him. He would prove to everyone that his blades could bring something other than chaos.

* * *

Author's Note.

...Hello, again sorry for making this two parts. I was really sick and had a doctor's appointment. Now I feel a tad much better.

While I was dying on my bed, I was able to talk to some of you. Thank you all for your help. Leave a comment or some constructive criticism. Who are these new people why are they trying to kill Jaune and who is this man looking for redemption? Sorry if the fight feels slow or sloppy, I'm not good with writing fight scenes. Now, there are somethings I would like to address.

One: I have an idea to where I want to take the story but it could go one of two ways.

A) Jaune goes to Mistral and meets Pyrrha. He won't be fighting her or anything. Due to some events Jaune also meets Blake.

Or

B) I skip all of that and drop Jaune at Beacon. Plain and simple.

Please PM me.

Two: As you could tell, this fic will have a harem. Jaune is the type of guy who is charming in his own little way. Jaune is caring, kind, and most importantly faithful. He would accidently charm the girls like he did with Pyrrha. But I would like to show love to a certain bunny girl. Velvet is not shown enough love and I would like to change that. I a lot of fics, you see Jaune save Velvet and you see them either become friends

or Velvet develops a crush on Jaune, but that's it. Either the author write her as a side character or Jaune just rejects her. I would love to include Velvet into Jaune's harem. So let me know what you think. PM me if you need too.

 **Now there are only three reviews**

 **Wagner: Ok cool I'll get to work then. Also, it is sad that I can't write Hati Hroovitnisson into this fic. Or can I? (Wink)**

 **Boblets: Well sorry, but I don't want Jaune actually become a god. Some gods will deem him unworthy and will seek our hosts.**

 **Draxinus: Thx dude. I really appreciate it.**


	5. Chapter 5

_Gods Within The Arc_

"Speaking"

" _gods/heroes speaking"_

' _Thinking'_

" **Monster/Creatures** "

"Voice over radio"

Chapter 4

Off To Mistral

It had been a week sense the Banshee Incident and thing were calm here at Bitterwood. The militia was now at high alert and were training new recruits even harder then ever. Melissa Arc was at the market running some errands. Her husband and Captain Todd had left a day or so ago to Vale.

They were going to go to the Council of Vale to warn them of such creatures like the Banshee. There was another reason they went to Vale though, they had both recommendation letters for Jaune and Joan, and they wished to give them to Ozpin. Of all people, it had to be Ozpin! She didn't like the man, no, she hated the man with heart and soul. The man would do everything in his power to protect the Maidens, even if that meant the sacrifices of good people. It was because of him, Summer Rose, Jacob Arc, Gretchen Rainart, and the rest of Jacob's and Gretchen's team; Team Star. But she was no Hazel, she would not convert to Salem's side. She sometimes wished she could forget everything Ozpin told her. The Maidens, the Relics, Ozpin's and Salem's Inner Circle. She wished she could go back in time and warn Gretchen not to take that mission. To warn Jacob not to go to Mt. Glenn. She wished–

"Lien for you thought?" A man wearing a lab coat, black pants, and black shoes said from beside Melissa. Had she spaced out that much? "You were thinking of the past, weren't you." He said accusingly.

"I-I'm sorry, how are you?" Melissa asked. The man simple smiled and went to a fruit stand with Melissa right behind him.

"My name is William Paradox, but my friends call me Dr. Paradox." Paradox introduced himself.

"How did you know I was thinking about the past?" Melissa questioned. Paradox grabbed an apple and paid for it before walking off again. Melissa followed suit. She was going to ask again but the man beat her to it.

"The past is such an interesting thing. We try to change it but we don't change ourselves." Paradox said sagely. Melissa never thought about it like that, for–

"For us to prevent or change the past, we first must change ourselves." Melissa was dumbstruck, how could he know what she was going to say.

"You speak of experience, don't you?" Melissa asked. Paradox's face became dark and dull.

"Many times, I have seen people died. People who don't deserve death. But one can't just change time on a whim. Even if I wanted too." Paradox muttered the last part quietly but Melissa was able to hear it.

"Who... are you?" Melissa asked. She could see a little bit of Ozpin in him but at the same time both were completely different.

"Well I already told, didn't I? But you ask on how I know this things. My semblance allows me to walk between time and understand it fully. A time walker, you may say." Paradox concluded smiling. His smile faded a moment later. "Ah, I remember meeting Jacob, right before the rocks crushed him. I tried to save him, I really did. But, he knew who I was. He rejected my offer. He... accept his fate. He didn't fear death." Paradox shed a tear but quickly recovered. Melissa didn't know what to think, after the death of his brother, Johnathan isolated himself and barely ate or drank. He was so distraught after his death, she wanted to be angry; at Ozpin, the Council, at Paradox. But she couldn't. Jacob accepted his death, he knew yet he still accepted it.

"Why are you telling me this?" Melissa asked,

"You can't live in the past. You must move forward and live in the present and think of the future." Before she could ask he more, he gestured to the side. She turned and saw a poster advertising a festival in Mistral. The Kajiya. She had participated when she used to live in Mistral. When she used to be a blacksmith. She turned to Paradox only to find him gone. She once more turned towards the poster and got an idea her son might love.

"Are you sure you want to do this, Surtr?" Paradox was stationed on top of building. Paradox turned to his partner, Surtr. Surtr was wearing a black shirt with a red tie, black pants, and black shoe. He was holding a sack and had a peaceful expression.

"If you do this, they will find you." Paradox had tried to convinced Surtr for a long time now.

"The seed must be planted for a new tree to grow. Let the fools find me, it matters little. Find Onyx, warn him of my fate." Surtr said. He knew he was going to die, yet he welcomes it. Paradox simply nodded.

* * *

Joan was taking care little June while Jaune was in the study room writing his new book; Theory of The Soul.

Melissa entered the house in a good mood. She carried some rolled up paper in her armpit.

"Jaune! Joan! Come down!" Melissa shouted for her children. Joan noticed June was asleep left and quickly took her to her room and tucked her in. Jaune finished one more paragraph and left the study room.

"What is it mum?" The twins said at the same time making their mother giggle. When she was done restacking the fridge, she turned to the twins with a bright smile that would leave Helios in shame.

"Would you two like to go to Mistral!?" Melissa said while unrolling the paper. Showing it off to both of them. Joan was happy, she had never been to Mistral before but Jaune. Jaune was flabbergasted, he only started working as a blacksmith just to create Theós. If his mum thought he was ready to go to the biggest blacksmith festival, than he was beyond honored.

Both started to nod their heads furiously. And like Hermes, they were gone to pack up.

"We're going to wait for your father to return! And we'll be taking a train to Vale and a bullhead to Mistral!" Melissa called out making the twins stop rushing around. The twins paled and their eyes became wide. The Arcs had many enemies throughout the years, one of them was motion sickness. May the gods help them. Outside the Arc Manor was a man clothed in an Atlas uniform.

"General, the Arc boy is going to Mistral." The Atlasian soldier reported.

"Good, return at once. We'll intercept the boy there." The voice of General Ironwood could be heard from the other end.

* * *

"Five more minutes, hold it in dears." Melissa said trying to comfort both of her children. Both were ready to puke out there lunch. After Johnathan came back from Vale, he approved of the trip and told Jaune that he couldn't fly and Joan that she can't she her water manipulation. They had taken motion sickness pills, but the trips were too long and the pills wore out.

They could manage trains but bullheads. It was like someone stuck the Furies on you, it was horrible. Thankfully, the gods heard there pleas.

"Now arriving to, Mistral. Have a safe trip." A nice lady said. Jaune and Joan bolted the hell out of there with their mother hot on their trail. Joan and Jaune were puking in a trash can.

"Come dears, we have to register ourselves." Melissa said. Jaune grabbed Joan and started to carry her like she was a wounded soldier.

Mistral was such a beautiful city. The culture, smell of the food, the architect of the buildings. Mistral wasn't just that, I was also a place where warriors came for fame or glory. Jaune hated that. While the warrior fought each other, innocent people die. But that's Mistral for you; a city of fame and glory. Jaune felt a small tugging behind him and when he looked down, he saw a little girl with lynx ears.

"Sir, could you spear any Lien?" She was shaking and in the verge of tears. Jaune could see bruises on her arms. Mistral; city of fame and glory everyone.

Jaune reached into his back pocket and the little Faunus flinched and closed her eyes. When she didn't feel any pain or got shouted at, she open them. Only to see a white Lien card. Her eyes widen and she looked at the kind man. For a spilt she thought she saw transparent people but when she blinked, they were gone. With caution, she took the Lien and ran off. Jaune just smile, but his smile turned sour when he saw people giving him looks. His mother and sister smiled but said nothing, Jaune didn't need to be thanked or complimented. What he didn't know was that a pair of golden feline eyes were watching him from the shadows

When they arrived were the festival was being held, they were in awe. Man and woman, human and faunus working together to make the best weapons and armor. The smell of the forge, the metal, the weapons, everything an aspiring blacksmith needs.

Our trio walked up to a man with a clipboard setting in a small table.

"Hello, we like to register." Melissa said cheerfully.

The man grabbed a pen and nodded.

"Your names and the name of what you want your station to be called." The man simply asked. He sounded like he was in a hurry. His probably five minutes away from his break.

"Melissa, Jaune and Joan Arc. For our station...Arc Emporium." Melissa said confidently. Jaune and Joan either smiled or giggled at the name. The man wrote down everything and nodded.

"Follow me." He said walking off. The man guided them to a small shop. This shops can be rented during and after the Kajiya. Normally the shops were all empty after the festival. A whiteboard sat in front of the shop. The man took out a marker and wrote down 'Arc Emporium' in cursive before wordlessly walking off.

"Well, time to set up." Melissa said taking off her backpack. It was going to be a long day indeed.

It was a very boring day indeed. Same routing, same faces, same everything. She had just won her third Tournament and she went from being 'The invincible Girl' to the 'Goddess of Victory'.

To rub salt on the wound, during her least fight her weapon and shield were damaged. Her father, Thaddeus Niko and her mother, Anni Niko thought it would be a good idea to go out and get them fixed. They had good intentions but they forgot that fame brings you unwanted attention. Paparazzi and fans were trying to get photos or autographs. Thankfully, her father was keeping them away with just one glare. They were looking for anything that got their eyes, and it worked. Her father stopped, making both females stop too, and look at a whiteboard with the title 'Arc Emporium' written on it.

"It can't be." Her father whispered under his breath. He started walking towards the shop, leaving both females very confused. The mother and daughter duo follow suit, entering the small shop. There they found their husband/dad frozen. A dirty blond and a full blond staring back at them.

"Melissa?" Thaddeus's voice sounded shaky like he'd see a ghost or something.

"Thaddeus, is that you?" The woman said. A second later they both embraced each other in a hug. It took a few minutes before they parted.

"It's so good to see you Thaddeus. How have you been?" Melissa asked, whipping away the tears that were forming.

"I've been alright. It's good to see again." Thaddeus replied. They would have continue but they were interrupted by Annis coughing loudly. They both turn and saw Anni tapping her foot impatiently.

"Oh sorry, Melissa, this is my wife, Anni and my daughter, Pyrrha. Dear, this is Melissa, a childhood friend of mine." Thaddeus said, trying not to make his wife jealous. And it worked. His wife stretched out one of her hands.

"It's a pleasure." She said with no venom or anger. They shook hands and Melissa turned and gesture the other female blond in the room.

"Before I forget, this is my daughter; Joan Arc. Joan could you be a sweetheart and call your brother." Joan nodded and went and stood at the doorframe that connected the back to the actual shop.

"Jaune!" She shouted and waited for a responds.

"I'm busy!" A male voice replied. Joan turned towards her mother and Melissa gesture for her to go. Joan slipped through the cloth that was the door and disappeared from view.

"Jaune, mum need you." The people at the front of the shop could still hear them.

"Can't you see I'm busy." Jaune replied before sounds of a struggle could be heard.

"Get off me!"

"Mum needs you. We have visitors." Joan tried to reason with Jaune to no avail.

"Give me a couple of minutes. The costumers can wait." Jaune stubbornly refused. At this point, Melissa was pinching the bridge of her nose, Thaddeus had an amused smirk, while the red headed females were giggling like crazy.

"Fenrir, attack." Soon, growling and a small yelp could heard. Loki had other plans.

"Fenrir, attack her not me." Jaune tried to reason with whatever beast laid beyond the cloth. A thud and what sounded like someone being dragging could be heard coming closer and closer. Joan exited first with a triumphant smirk. Behind her, a black furred wolf dragged a male blond out.

"You betray me, Fenrir?" Jaune said with mock pain. Fenrir licked him before exploding into a black cloud. Jaune stood up and dusted himself.

"What can I do for you mum?" Jaune asked through gritted teeth and a forced smile.

"Jaune, I'll like for you to meet an old childhood friend of mine." Jaune's mother gestured Thaddeus and he simply waved.

"It's good to meet you sir, is there something I could help you with?" Jaune asked professionally.

"Yes, Mr. Arc, you could." Everyone turned and saw the general of Atlas himself, accompanied by a Specialist. James Ironwood and Winter Schnee.

Thaddeus put himself in between his family and the general. Joan stiffened and Melissa lost her cheerfulness and became cold.

"General, your determined aren't you." Jaune taunted the general. Winter stepped forward but was stopped my her superior.

"Mr. Arc, tell me what would happen when Vale hears your selling weapons to another kingdom." Ironwood threaten the younger arc. Jaune kept a neutral expression. Ironwood wants Damascus Steel so that he can create new weapons of mass destruction. Jaune will not have innocent blood on his hands.

"Tell me James, what happens when Vale hears you've been spying on me. Tensions will rise and the trust you've been building, will crumble." Jaune shoot back, making the general stiffen. He was going to say something to the Arc but stopped. Behind Jaune transparent figure could be seen with judging eyes.

"This is my last warning. Leave my family alone. Or I will show you what Damascus Steel can really do." Jaune said coldly. Jaune was sick and tired of Atlas bugging him. They had their chance and they blew it.

"I suggest you listen to the young lad." A new voice spoke out. Everyone turn and saw an old man with ginger hair and red eyes. He was carrying a small sack and had a wooden cane.

"Are you busy." The man looked past the Atlasians and directly at Jaune. The General and Specialist left, Ironwood "accidently" bumped into the old man on his way out.

"Uhmm, no... I mean...yes... I think?" Jaune looked at his mother for help. And help she did. She took the Nikos so that they can catch up. Pyrrha and Joan hung around the shop idly chatting. The old man, whose name was Sully, put the sack on the counter and smiled.

"Ah, this reminds me of when I created my sword, such a masterpiece." Sully said sadly.

"You were a blacksmith?" Jaune questioned the old man. "What happened to your sword?" Jaune asked.

"Oh it broke a while ago." Now this confused Jaune. If he was a blacksmith then.

"Why didn't you fix it?" Jaune question the old man.

"Even if I would've fixed it, I would have no reason to use it. I'm too old and brittle to fight and no one wants an old sword, they want a weapon that can swift into another weapon. Even if I were to give it to someone else, no one is able to work with the material." Sully said disappointed. Hook. Line. And sinker.

"Can I see the material?" Sully smirked and reached into the sack and pulled out a chunk of red and orange ore. The ore looked like it was made out of fire and magma. Jaune eyed the ore just like you would eye a piece of steak.

'Hephaestus, what do you?' Jaune mentally asked his gods for an opinion.

'Ask him.' Ra simply and sagely said.

"Yes, you can work on it." Sully said, startling Jaune.

"Please, I can read people like a book. I saw a glint in your eyes, a spark. Take its all your." The man smiled brightly. Jaune took the ore and ran into the back of the workshop. Pyrrha and Joan stared at the spot where Jaune was. Sully just chuckled and left the shop without a word.

* * *

Jaune finished testing the strength of the mysterious ore Sully give him. I had been half an hour sense he stopped trying to work with it. Jaune couldn't work with the ore, so he decided to help fix Pyrrha's weapons.

"This is some good craftmanship. Who made them." Jaune asked looking at the fine craftmanship of Miló and Akoúo̱.

"My uncle made them for me." Pyrrha said sadly. Remembering the good old days.

"Your training to be a Huntress, right?" Jaune asked trying to make Pyrrha forget he asked about her uncle.

"Yes, I'm studying in Sanctum. My dad teaches there." Pyrrha answered him. Pyrrha thought Jaune didn't notice her expression becoming sadden but he did.

"Why do you want to be a Huntress?" The question was simple, the answer wasn't. There were a number of reasons why people thought they wanted to become Huntsmen. Some better than others, some were just horrible and selfish.

"I want to help people. I want to become a pillar for humanity. To secure a better tomorrow." Pyrrha said confidently and determined. The only thing Jaune did was nod his head and smile.

"Yet, you fight in tournaments for glory and fame. Being a Huntsmen means you being selfless, caring, and equal to everyone. Being a Huntsmen means to abandon the path of fame. So I have a little advise for you. Stop. Stop before the fame gets worse. You don't need it." Jaune concluded and left to the back room to fix Pyrrha's weapons. Pyrrha was just stunned. She had never thought of it like that. Jaune was right, she need to stop, before everything got out of hand.

* * *

On the outskirts of Mistral grew some beautiful flowers. He always came here when he needed to think. These flowers are very beautiful, yet people don't value their beauty. They only value them when there already gone.

"I knew I would find you here Sully or should I say Surtr." Surtr turned and saw a cloaked man with a distorted voice and a mask.

"What do you want?" Surtr said with venom and hatred. This was the man who made their lives a living nightmare. He was the mastermind behind all of this.

"I'm here to make you an offer." The mastermind said.

"Join us, we could use someone like you." He said. Behind the mask the man was smiling like a madman. With Surtr, the plans can advance more quickly.

"Why should I join you?" Surtr spat angrily at the man. The man's smile widen even more.

"Look at this world. It's dying. The Grimm own more than half of this world. A civil war is going to erupt. Human and Faunus are going to start killing each other. And Ozpin's and Salem's little war is making Armageddon come quicker than ever." The man said. Surtr lowered his head and was almost convinced. Almost.

"We can become the gods of this new world. My people have already infiltered Ozpin's and Salem's Inner Circles. We can destroy the Grimm, kill the Maidens, destroy the Relics. We can make this world perfect." The man paused for a breath and continued.

"The idiots of the Twin Gods left this world undefended. We can help these people, but we need your help." The man finished and extended his hand.

"Do you take me as a fool?! I know what you want to do. You don't want to rule this people fairly, you want to rule them tyrannically. You couldn't rule I your past life but here you can. You'll only make this place worse. I refuse to join you!" Surtr was then entangled by some snake. The man manifested a sword and walked over to Surtr.

"I'm sorry Surtr but if you're not with us than you're against us." The man plunged his sword into Surtr's heart. Surtr instead of begging or crying, laughed.

"Even if you kill me, the seed of rebellion was already been planted." The eyes of the masked man widen. Surtr just kept laughing and laughing. Until the sword plunged deeper into his chest. His vision was getting fogy and it was getting hard to see. He welcomed death with opened arms. Surtr's body went limp but he still had his smile and that made the masked man very angry. The snake let go of the body and turned towards his leader.

"Let's go. This seed matters little, I wager Jaune or Onyx has it. We can't attack Jaune yet and Onyx is nowhere to be seen." The man said. The snake nodded and left, leaving the man by himself. If this seed was meant to defeat him, then he'll have to corrupt the seed. Things just got harder.

* * *

Author's Note.

...I don't feel proud of this chapter. It might be my horrible writing or the pounding headache I have, who knows. It just feels sloppy. I'm going to the doctor again, so the next chapter should be up by Thursday. Leave a comment or some constructive criticism. I hope you guys liked this chapter. PM me if you have any suggestions. Also I'm going to need your guy's help.

A) I realized that right now Jaune would meet a fifteen year old Blake. So how I want to do this, the White Fang is still a somewhat peaceful organization but does sometimes use a more violent approach. So, Jaune would meet a more tame Blake.

B) Jaune doesn't meet Blake until Beacon. Simple.

 **Now, onto the review.**

 **Ecko072: Thank you and I don't know about Thor, perhaps I'll include him.**

 **Guest Q: Thank you for your opinion. That might be him. Who knows.**

 **Cain: Okay, yeah no. Perhaps a Omake. But no to incest.**

 **Jack Lycan: Velvet will be shown some love.**

 **TheMentalgen: Thank you and also, I never thought about it like that. I might do that.**

 **Jarod Gudino: Why thank you.**

Also I'm working on a new story, it's a SCP and RWBY crossover. The plot will be basic I guess. The Foundation sends Jaune to Beacon to make sure everything is okay over there. But is Jaune human or an SCP. What do you guys think, should I go for it?


	6. Chapter 6

_Gods Within The Arc_

"Speaking"

" _gods/heroes speaking"_

' _Thinking'_

" **Monster/Creatures"**

"Voice over radio"

Chapter 5

An Eventful Meeting

It had been four days since Sully gave Jaune the strange ore. No matter what he did, he had only managed to work the metal slightly, nothing more. Pyrrha and her family had visited the shop a few times since then and that had inevitably brought in a surge of other customers. The thought process behind that being that since the great Pyrrha Nikos came to their shop, then it must mean it was the best around. Things had been so busy that Jaune hadn't been able to get a good night's sleep in what felt like ages and it was taking its toll. Don't get him wrong, the pay was good, and the work kept him busy, but people were too picky for his taste. He'd learned quickly that they had very high standards.

There were only two more days left of the festival, and then they leave to travel back home. Jaune's mother and sister had gone to pick something up for lunch. Jaune was currently at the back of the shop arranging some boxes and other supplies that needed to be organized. He was about to pick up another box amongst dozens he'd already done when he stopped, hearing a strange hissing sound. He turned around to find a feathered serpent with equally feathered wings idly hovering in front of him. The two eyed each other for several moments, blinking owlishly. That silence was broken as the serpent emitted a small shrike and lunged at the blond host. Jaune tried to swat the flying snake out of the air, but it was to no avail. Spinning around, expecting another assault, he was surprised when it never came. Instead, Jaune could hear unfamiliar laughter coming from another direction.

When Jaune turned towards this new sound, he once again was met with a strange sight, this time being a man wearing nothing but a blue loincloth. He was around 6'2 and was built like a mountain. He had feathers on his arms, piercing blue eyes, spiky green hair, and tanned skin. On his right arm was a tattoo featuring the same feathered serpent that attacked him only moments before.

" _Well, I wasn't expecting that! Oh boy, you should have seen your face."_ The man continued laughing at Jaune. The blonde in question couldn't stop his cheeks from starting to heat up in embarrassment. If that wasn't enough, the gods inside of his head were laughing at him too. It took almost a solid five minutes to quiet both groups down.

"Are you guys done?" He finally asked in annoyance.

" _Sorry, I haven't had a good laugh in a while."_ The man wiped a tear from his eye, straightening himself up and attempting to look more serious before clearing his throat. _"Hello young one, I'm Quetzalcoatl, God of Wind and Wisdom. I'm at your service."_

The self-identified Quetzalcoatl did a little bow after introducing himself. Having learned the importance of different signs of respect from many of the gods in his head, Jaune made sure to bow in return.

" _I have been traveling for a long time and, honestly, I'm growing tired. However, I noticed you, Jaune Arc, and I believe you are worthy of my divine power. So what do you say? Do you want to be shaped into an Aztec warrior?"_ It was more of a rhetorical question than an actual question. Quetzalcoatl knew what Jaune's answer was going to be.

The Blonde smiled and nodded his head. A sudden rush of power overwhelmed him, making him drop to his knees. Gripping his throat as gasped for his breath, he waited for the process to finish. After what felt like an eternity but was in reality only a few seconds, he crumpled to the ground, breathing in his precious oxygen deeply. The acceptance process was always different, but that one had been particularly intense.

Jaune slowly stood up, noticing immediately that his body felt lighter than ever. He closed his eyes, trying to link up with Quetzalcoatl. The wind started to pick up, swirling around him in a small vortex, list of dust and other debris particles where picked off the ground. Extending his hand before him, palm upwards, a small ball of compressed air started to form. Sweat started to bead on his brow within moments, the use of a new god in his roster was always difficult. He allowed it to dissipate and while the strain ended, he found he was still breathing a little heavier than usual. Jaune frowned and rolled his eyes with a sigh. He knew that he would have to change his fighting style once again to accommodate this new addition. He knew he shouldn't complain about the power given to him, but having to this over and over again was seriously annoying sometimes.

Jaune went back to doing his manual labor after that. When he was done, he went straight back into his temporary workshop. He was determined to figure out the strange ore Sully had given him. He had been chipping away at the damn thing with little noticeable progress. He had even been trying to punch the ore while in Baldur mode, but it wasn't what he would call efficient. So far, he had only managed to break off three small pieces, but that was enough for the moment at least. Unfortunately, before he could get to work, Jaune heard what sounded like a commotion coming from outside. Small altercations or arguments between fellow blacksmith or even between customers wasn't that out of the ordinary, in fact, it was actually a regular thing around here. Nevertheless, curious as he was, Jaune went to the front of the shop and poked his head out the door.

Outside, on one side of the street was a mob of protesting Faunus, and on the other side was a group of police officers dressed in riot gear. Some shops had closed down, not wanting to see or partake in the event, others were either cracking a cold one or simply watching with smug smiles. A few Faunus could be seen throwing things at the officers when they started to get rough, shield-bashing a few of those on the frontlines and slowly move to surround the crowd. Jaune even saw one of the Faunus drop to the ground, holding what looked to be a broken nose, blood spurting between his fingers from where a shield had impacted it. This only riled the crowd up further and more began grabbing nearby objects to throw. It wasn't doing much though, as any of the objects thrown were easily blocked with their riot shields. If anyone could see the faces of the gods within Jaune, all they would see is disappointment.

Then out of nowhere, the police started launching tear gas at the mostly peaceful crowd. Normally, the Faunus would have scattered at that point and disbanded, but the police officers had aimed some of the canisters behind the mob, blocking their only escape. The entire street was covered in a quickly spreading cloud. The thick smoke made it hard to see and even harder to breathe for anyone inside.

Jaune stood frozen for a moment in shock at the blatant show of discrimination before him. Equal parts disgusted and angry, he didn't wait any longer before springing into action. A few others who didn't buy into the racism that was so prevalent here in Mistral moved to help as well, holding their breaths and pulling out anyone that they could reach still in the thick white mist.

Jaune went into Baldur mode and dove straight in, successfully pulling out as many as he could. He was about to leave the affected area, not seeing anyone else nearby, when he almost tripped on something… or more specifically, a someone. Looking down, his eyes widened in shock as he saw an unconscious black-haired girl, probably around his age. Bending down, he scooped her up into his arms, carrying her bridal style out of the gas. Jaune could only imagine what he would look like if anyone saw him, carrying an unconscious girl in his arms out what essentially looked like a war zone just like a hero from all those movies… the thing was, at that moment he didn't feel like a hero from the stories. The actions he'd just witnessed were disgusting, and he'd only done what anyone should have.

Moving back to the shop before the fog cleared completely, hoping that none of the police noticed the girl he was holding, Jaune took her to one of the spare rooms they had. It was supposed to be a guest room, but they mainly used it for storage. Setting the young girl down, Jaune finally noticed the cute pair of cat ears sitting on the top of her head, peeking above her black hair. Making sure she was settled properly, Jaune proceed to find a new pair of clothes for her. As strange as it would be for some, it wasn't too hard for him to pick out a few things he thought that would fit her, growing up with seven sisters did come in handy once in a while. He would have to notify his mother and sister about their new guest.

* * *

Due to the recent and sudden change in the White Fang's leadership, many of its members were being taught how to fight. It had been originally under the guise of just learning how to defend themselves, but violence had become more and more common as time went on. Unknown to many, apart from fighting, the Faunus had also been started to learn other skills, including espionage, how to infiltrate, and... how to kill.

With all of this in mind, you can probably imagine the surprised look the black-haired girl had awoken in an unknown location, on a very comfortable bed and at night. She stood silently, observing her surroundings closely. Just like she'd initially thought, they were completely foreign to her. It was at that point that she heard footsteps. Growing ever louder as the person making them drew closer and closer towards her, Blake's whole body tensed and ready to spring into action. Whoever had brought her here must have been incredibly stupid, having left, her weapon, Gambol Shroud, on her person. The cat Faunus took it out, and with steady hands she readied herself.

The door opened quietly as if the person were worried about waking her, revealing a startled-looking blond boy with ocean-blue eyes. The blond was carrying a fresh pair of clothes in one hand and a cup of water in the another. Eyes darting back up to his face, he still hadn't uttered a word, looking like a deer caught in the headlights.

"You're awake! Thank god. I brought you some fresh clothes and some water… in case you're thirsty that is." He spoke in a carefree manner, almost like they were longtime friends, seeming completely unfazed by the fact that she had a weapon pointed at him. Inside his head, Jaune was being harshly berated by the gods for allowing Blake to keep her weapon.

"Who are you, and where am I?" The Faunus spoke in a demanding tone, making Jaune almost flinch… almost. He moved slowly to the one side, laying the clothes and cup on the dresser. Raising his hands in a show of peace, he hoped this would prove her he didn't mean any harm… or at the very least didn't pose much of a threat.

"My name is Jaune Arc, and you are at my family's shop. What about you, what's your name?" Jaune said calmly. Taking a minute to observe him carefully, she slowly lowered her weapon to her side, though she didn't stow it completely. She wasn't able to detect any sign of deceit, but she was still careful.

"Blake." The Faunus said in a low and monotone voice. Jaune nodded and was about to leave when Blake spoke out.

"Why did you bring me here?" She was still pretty quiet even then, so much so that he almost missed the question, but he did manage to turn back towards her.

"You were knocked out by the tear gas. I brought you here to make sure to were safe. If you wish to leave, I won't stop you, but you can to take a shower and put on some new clothes if you want. Those are my sisters'; I hope they fit you." The way Jaune said everything, it made it sound like he truly cared, but something still bothered her. She forced herself to sheath her weapon nonetheless, though her hand still hovered nearby.

"You said your family ran this place, are they here?" Blake asked, feeling a bit nervous still. It seemed pretty clear that Jaune wasn't racist, but she couldn't be sure that his family would be as kind. Jaune knew why she was asking and saddened him that it was the first thing she had to think of.

"You don't have to worry about my family; they won't judge you. Plus, due to all the protests, they had to book a hotel." Jaune reassured her. Blake let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.

Leaving the room and disappearing from her sight a few moments later, finally giving Blake a moment to herself. It hadn't taken her long to realize that she actually recognized Jaune. He was the one who gave Lien to the littlest White Fang member in Mistral, and was apparently, a person of interest to Atlas. Putting that aside, for now, she went over to the dresser and inspected the clothes Jaune had brought for her. A simple purple t-shirt and a pair of jeans. It wasn't what she would have chosen for herself, but it had to do.

Grabbing the pair of clothes, she walked out of the room and went in search of the bathroom; she could hear Jaune working on something in the back and decided not to interrupt him. Upon reaching the bathroom, she stripped out of her previous clothes, making sure the door was properly locked, and that her weapon was close at hand. Turning the shower to cold, she stepped in, shivering upon contact with the water, her pale skin quickly becoming covered in goosebumps.

She had grown accustomed to cold shower by now, the White Fang rarely had any accommodations with proper plumbing, let alone warm water, and when did they, only a few could enjoy them. Unbidden, her thoughts turned to memories of her of her family and the warm showers, warm food, warm bedding, warm clothes fresh out of the drying… really everything warm reminded her of her family, including how it felt to be loved by them, not that she expected them to still harbored that sentiment for her anymore. Sometimes she was tempted to go back and try to apologize, for everything she said before running off, but she was scared of what they would say… of the look of disappointment she would see in their eyes. Blake wasn't sure if she could survive that.

She could remember the days when the White Fang didn't have to train to kill, when it was peaceful, and was about trying to get along with humans. The only reason she could even stand how things were now was continuously reminding herself that this was for equality… for her people. That's what Adam told her… she knew she was just weak for wavering… maybe someday she could be strong like him. Maybe someday there could be a world where Human and Faunus coexisted, but for now, they were a long ways from that.

Unbeknownst to her, or to Jaune, a young man with bullhorns and red hair was observing the shop from a nearby rooftop.

Jaune could hear the shower running, and if he paid especially close attention, he could just make out humming. Strangely, he found that he was breathing a little heavier than usual and was getting a little numb on his right hand. He was about to continue on with what he was doing when he heard the front door open. He would have chalked it up to his family returning or even Blake leaving, but the fact that the shower was still running and his family would have texted him on their way back told him that something wasn't right.

Jaune grabbed Theós and shifted it to its revolver form. Proceeding to creep up towards the front of the shop, he looked for anything out of the ordinary. Not spotting anything at first, he kept moving forward, continuing to listen for any more sounds. Jaune was about to move the cloth out of the way and enter the main area of the shop when someone jumped him from the side, concealed by the shadows. The intruder quickly placed his sword up against Jaune's throat, prompting Jaune to switch to Baldur without delay. Blake must have heard something because the shower immediately turned off. Jaune was now really regretting not keeping the lights on. He had to figure out a way to warn her of the danger!

"Where is Blake?" The intruder demanded, his voice was deep and filled with obvious venom. This caused Jaune to pause for a moment in surprise. He hadn't thought this attack was about Blake… maybe the White Fang had gotten even more violent than he had suspected.

Jaune looked down and saw Theós on the ground. The intruder must have seen what he was trying to do and pressed the blade harder against his neck, not that it mattered to Jaune. Before he could answer, the bathroom door opened and out came Blake, with her weapon in one hand and her previous clothes in another. She turned towards them, and her eyes widened like dinner plates.

"Adam!" Blake shrieked. Blake really wasn't expecting her mentor, and crush, to be here, let alone have his sword against the neck of her saviour. The newly named Adam, let go of Jaune and rushed towards Blake.

"Blake, are you alright? How did you end up here?" Adam's voice softened while he spoke to her. Blake tried to keep her blush in check before she spoke.

"I'm fine Adam. Jaune recused me after the protest got out of hand." Blake said while looking over Adam's back, to make sure Jaune didn't do anything stupid. Jaune simply picked up his weapon and holstered it. Adam's expression hardened. Turning around, he strode up to Jaune, stopping a couple of inches away from him.

"You... saved Blake," Jaune couldn't read anything behind the Faunus' words. Not trusting himself to answer verbally, he simply nodded. What Adam did next, surprised both Jaune and Blake. Bowing his head to Jaune and putting a fist over his heart. "Thank you. I wouldn't do this for just anyone, but, I am sincerely grateful… even if you are human."

"Blake means a lot to me." The last part was spoken a moment later, barely above a whisper, and Jaune was sure he was the only one who heard it.

In shock at how the situation turned out, it took a few seconds for him to gather his wits and respond, "Don't worry about it. We Arcs don't care if your Human or Faunus. We simply help those in need."

Jaune smiled at the red-haired teen causing Adam to straighten himself up and give a solemn nod, though he thought he detected the hint of a small smile too.

"I will remember that. Come, Blake, we must get going." Adam stated, before walking off, only stopping when he didn't hear Blake move. He turned and saw Blake still in the same spot, shuffling uncomfortably.

"Can you give Jaune and I a minute, I promise I'll be quick." Adam stood in silence before nodding and walking off, leaving the shop. Jaune gave Blake his undivided attention.

"I just realized I never did thank you… so, thank you, I guess, for everything. I wish there were more people like you," Blake said sadly, and Jaune had to agree with her in that. Blake was about to head out, but Jaune stopped her.

"Before you go, the White Fang, they're becoming more and more violent. I see good in you and Adam, but if you continue down this path, you'll lose your ideals… you'll lose everything. I don't want to see either of you become killers. I recommend leaving before things go too far… before everything comes crashing down." They say the eyes are the windows the soul, well Jaune certainly couldn't see souls through people's eyes, but he had always had a good insight into people. Blake and Adam have the ability within them to change the image of the Faunus for the better, but their current path was a very dark one. He was certain they wouldn't be able to survive it intact.

Blake didn't say a word, an intense look of contemplation on her face. She simply looked at him for several moments before nodding slowly. Jaune let her through and allowed her to leave. He stood in the hallway until he heard the door closed and even remained there for several moments after that, wondering about and wishing the best for the futures of the two Faunus he had just met.

Jaune sighed, finally turning around and heading back towards the shop. He needed to get everything for the next day. He had to get ready to leave Mistral.

Outside, Blake and Adam had climbed up to a rooftop and were jumping from building to building as they moved across the city. The two stopped to catch their breath after several minutes, and that was when Adam finally realized that Blake was wearing something different.

"You look lovely, Blake." He had to admit, she looked good. It was a simple outfit, but Blake always did like simple. Adam chuckled when he saw Blake go red like a tomato. His thoughts went back to Jaune Arc, he would have to inform High Leader Khan of Jaune and the Arcs, maybe they could become a supporter for the White Fang, but for now, it was time to head back home.

...

...

...

Nothing. Nothing! He had been searching for a couple of days, and he had found nothing! He wanted to give up, but if he did that, _**they**_ would find him for sure. He really didn't want the kid to die. He had asked everywhere, the streets, orphanages, taverns, police stations, no one knew where the kid was. Onyx finally stopped at the last tavern in the city, hoping they knew something. He entered and was met by a lovely aroma. Walking up to the bartender, he pulled out the last known picture he had of the kid he was looking for.

"Have you seen this kid, ma'am?" The bartender finished cleaning a glass and examined the picture.

He had green eyes and black hair, but no other distinguishing features that he could tell. The picture had been found on the bodies of the kid's parents, but no matter where they looked, the kid was never found, so a Missing Persons notice was published. Onyx knew that _**they**_ wouldn't take anyone hostage, the gods or heroes would have warned them, and told them in no uncertain terms to stay away. The bartender sighed and shook her head. Onyx was ready to call it quits for today when someone to his right chuckled.

"Hehe, what's wrong ghost, can't find your little friend?" A man with red eyes, pale white skin, and black hair said. Onyx immediately recognized the drunken of a man as Qrow Branwen.

"So, Ozpin sent his lap dog to spy on me?" Onyx said dangerously, allowing some of his power to slip. Qrow finished his drink and turned towards him.

"Relax, Ozpin just wanted me to watch over you. I did and saw you were headed here. I've also kept an eye out for the kid, you know, just in case." Qrow shrugged and ordered another drink. Onyx wanted to full on murder the drunk but reframed. He was about to leave but didn't want Qrow following him around.

"Don't follow me Branwen, if you do, you'll regret it." Onyx threaten, causing Qrow to laugh, a smug smile on his face.

"Yeah, what if I don't? What will you do?" This time it was Onyx who smirked.

"If you don't stop following me, maybe I'll go take a visit to Patch. I'm sure you wouldn't want to see another rose wilt away, now would you?" Onyx said seriously; it wasn't a threat, it was a promise. He left before Qrow could do or say anything in return.

He started walking down the street, still frustrated just by being in that Huntsman's mere presence. He would have just kept on going if some instinct had suddenly told him to stop. Looking around, his eyes eventually caught sight of something sticking out of a nearby dumpster that made his insides go cold. Hurrying into the alleyway, Onyx approached slowly, praying to whatever deity out there for the best.

Rounding the corner, he found who he had been looking for. It was obvious the kid had repeatedly been stabbed. Most of his limbs had large fractures; the bones had obviously been broken on purpose. His throat was a dark mess of purple bruising where he had most likely been strangled in order to prevent him from calling out for help. Onyx grabbed his hand and noticed his body was still warm. He had been placed here recently. Putting his hand on the kid's face, he gently closed his eyes.

Closing his own eyes too, he took a moment to pray that the boy was now somewhere better, before picking him up and carrying him bridal style. He would at the very least make sure he was buried with his family. After that, he would find the ones responsible for this, and he would make them pay.

That, he promised.

* * *

Author's Note

...Sorry this took so long to update. My family and I are making arrangements to travel, and some cousins came by and my family wanted me to "socialize" with them. Anyway, I have a omake in the works, so watch out for that. Again, I apologize, I'll get to writing right away.

Beta by EmeraldGuardian7


	7. Chapter 7

_Gods Within The Arc_

"Speaking"

" _gods/heroes speaking"_

' _Thinking'_

" **Monster/Creatures"**

"Voice over radio"

Chapter 6

A Shining Beacon

 _Two years later_

Jaune stood alone at a bullhead landing station. It had been two years since he met Pyrrha and Blake, and honestly, things weren't looking good. Pyrrha went and won herself another tournament and Blake, well he really couldn't check to see if she had left the White Fang, but from what he had seen, the organization had only become more and more violent. He could only pray that the two Faunus had left before things got ugly.

Things weren't looking good on his side either, having to change his fighting style every time he received a new god was very taxing but he had continued to manage it somehow. Unfortunately, that wasn't the only thing making Jaune have a hard time. It was easy to noticed the bags that had begun developing under Jaune's eyes. They were subtle, but if you look closely, anyone could spot them. The culprit behind them were the memories. They do say 'Memory is key' and Jaune had absorbed some memories from all the gods he was hosting. Little by little they would trickle into his mind, whether good or bad, it didn't matter. Due to this, he would regularly find himself waking up during the middle of the night, and often could not fall back asleep afterward. Surprisingly, Joan didn't seem to have this problem. As far as he could tell, she was completely fine, unaffected by the nightmares he so wished to do away with.

He kind of wished Joan had come with him, seeing as she was the only one who understood his situation. He was still bummed out over the whole affair. When he and Joan had turned seventeen, they applied for Beacon. Sadly, only he was accepted into the prestigious school. To the rest of the family, it looked like Joan was coping well, but when he and Joan where alone, she's let it all out, sobbing silently into his shoulder. It broke Jaune's heart to see his sister in such a state but not all hope was lost. Captain Todd had extended an offer for Joan to become his prodigy. She had gladly accepted the offer in a heartbeat. Apart from that, all Jaune could do was warn Joan about the nightmares before he left and told her to call him right away if she ever had one. He hoped she'd follow his advice and wouldn't try to tough it out on her own.

The bullhead could now be seen on the horizon and was about to land, breaking Jaune out of his memories. Going over his things to make sure he didn't forget anything, he made his way over to the aircraft. He took a moment to mentally prepare himself before boarding the metal death trap, taking a pill that should help to control his stomach as well.

Unbeknownst to him, two pairs of eyes, one green, the other amber, followed his every move.

Stepping onto the craft, Jaune searched for a place to sit down and rest. Setting his backpack aside, he tried to relax, allowing a comfortable silence to fall around him. His eyes grew heavy within moments, and his body relaxed. Before he could even realize what was happening, the blonde boy fell asleep.

 _Jaune found himself on a bloody battlefield; bodies littered the land and blood painted the earth red._ _Staring at the horrible picture being shown to him, he tried everything he could to wake himself up from the nightmare. Jaune didn't know much about the war that was raging on, only that the Greeks and Trojans were battling each other in something called the Trojan War. Jaune could see Zeus and Apollo siding with the Trojans while Hephaestus sided with the Greeks. Other gods had chosen a side as well._

 _A loud battle cry was heard, making him jump and turn just in time to see a Greek soldier charging at him with a sword. Jaune simply sidestepped the rush and delivered a kick to the soldier's stomach, making him drop to his knees, holding his middle. Another soldier, this time Trojan, charged him with a spear. Dodging the long weapon, he moved even closer in, effectively invading past the soldier's comfort zone. Bringing his elbow down on the spear, it broke with a snap, but before Jaune could deal with the Trojan soldier, the Greek one stood up regained his sword, charging him anew. Time slowed down to a crawl, and Jaune's instincts screamed at him of the incoming danger. Processing this in a split second, he reached out to grab the broken spear with his left hand, turning in the next second and using it to parry the attack. Only instead of parrying the blow, Jaune's movement slit the man's throat. Time went back to normal with no warning, and the open wound on the neck of the Greek man spewed out a spray of blood on Jaune's face. It was hot and sticky, giving off a strong metallic scent._

 _He stared at the man as he grabbed feebly at his throat, doing his best to cling onto life as it continued to slip out between his fingers. Jaune had been having this nightmare for a while. He had seen people die in a lot of messy and just plain gory ways, but he had never been the one to actually do it himself. Jaune's hands went to cover his ears, desperately trying to drown the sounds of the man choking on his own blood, but it was of no use. The sound couldn't be drowned out. Hearing a loud boom, he looked up to the sky. A barrage arrows were flying his way like some kind of flock of deadly birds. Jaune closed his eyes, resigned to his fate, and waited for his death._

Jaune woke up, not startled in the slightest, but instead in a steady and calm manner. It was something you just didn't do when you had died in a dream, let alone a nightmare. It was then that he noticed that his entire body appeared... colorless? He felt weird. He couldn't feel any emotions, like at all. No stress. No fear. No sadness. It was… weird.

"Are you okay?" Jaune turned to his left and saw a boy with black hair with a magenta streak and magenta eyes. The boy's voice sounded dull and neutral.

"I'm fine. Did you do this?" Jaune said while lifting his arm to look at it. It was right about then that Jaune's body started to gain back its color.

"Yes, that was me. My semblance allows me to mask someone's negative emotions. You seem to be having a nightmare," The boy calmly explained. Memories of what he had seen came pouring back in at the boy's words.

" _We are sorry you have to go through this Jaune."_ Ra spoke from within Jaune's mind. The gods of the Greek pantheon stayed silent. Were they ashamed of themselves? But Jaune simply chuckled internally.

" _Hey, at the very least am not running away from Sekhmet, right?"_ Jaune said, making the gods smile in response.

"Thanks, they have been occurring more recently than before. Anyway, I'm Jaune. Jaune Arc." Jaune extended his hand outward.

"Lie Ren, but just call me Ren." The newly introduced Ren said while shaking his hand.

"So, Ren, are you here alone?" Jaune asked, trying to distract himself to pass the time and to avoid remembering the nightmare about the Trojan War.

"No, I'm here with a... friend of mine. She went out to find the bathroom, and I decided to stay here until she came back," Ren stated calmly.

"I see, anyway, thanks for helping me out," Jaune said while sporting a small smile. Ren returned the smile, albeit only a small one.

"Why were you experiencing nightmares?" Ren asked curiously, he had been in a similar situation and didn't want anyone experiencing what he and Nora went through. Jaune looked away and scratched the back of his head.

"It's just a downside of my semblance. It's nothing to worry about," Jaune answered. Ren simply nodded, but their conversation was cut short by the sound of someone screaming.

"REN!" A voice ran out through the entire bullhead, making people cover their ears. Ren simply sighed and stood up from his seat.

"I better get going. Wouldn't want her to do something irrational, we're already on thin ice at it is." Ren said while muttering the last part as he walked away. Jaune blinked several times before simply shrugging.

The bullhead land shortly after that and everyone started to disembark. Jaune grabbed his backpack, swinging it over his shoulders and followed the crowd out.

He'd already seen a few pictures of the campus in the promotional material from his acceptance, but Jaune still couldn't help looking up at the building that was known as Beacon in awe. However, before he could admire his new home in all its glory, an explosion rang throughout the courtyard. His hand moved instinctively down to grip Crocea Mors, his eyes rapidly scanned the area, looking to find the cause of the explosion. It didn't take long to find it, his gaze locking onto two girls near the fountain. One had long white hair tied up in an off-center ponytail, while the other's hair was much shorter and darker, though it was partially obscured by a bright red hood draped over her shoulders. The two appeared to be arguing about something, probably the explosion, when a black-haired girl wearing a bow approached them and said something that momentarily calmed them down. This was only temporary though as it was clear the white girl had taken offense to something because she had quickly stormed off. This left the other two girls alone, but the black-haired girl left soon after as well at which point the short-haired girl slumped down in defeat. Jaune watched her as she laid on the floor for a few moments before deciding to check up on her. Stopping before her downed form, he extended his hand out towards her.

"Hi, I'm Jaune," Jaune said with a cheerful smile. He took notice of the girl's silver eyes right away. It was strange; he'd never seen anyone's eyes quite that color before. The crimsonette blinked a couple of times before taking the offered hand.

"Thanks, I'm Ruby," she said.

Jaune smiled and gestured for her to walk alongside with him, to which she gladly agreed. The two of them walked side by side in a somewhat comfortable silence for several minutes, that is until Ruby, seemingly unable to contain herself any longer, broke it.

"So... I got this thing. Her name is Crescent Rose." Ruby said, pulling something out from behind her hooded cloak. The somewhat rectangular object unfolded into a giant scythe. Twirling it around with a surprising amount of ease, she planted the bottom of the weapon into the ground, cracking the concrete, though she didn't even seem to notice. Ruby turned towards Jaune, who was examining the craftsmanship of the weapon.

"Very beautiful weapon you got there. A scythe and a... high caliber sniper rifle." Jaune said excitedly. Ruby's smiled widened in epic proportions; she'd never met anyone who could figure out Crescent Rose's second function so quickly on their own.

"What do you have?" Ruby said with clear excitement. Jaune reached for Crocea Mors and pulled it out, extending the sheath into its shield form. The sword had never changed in all the years it was used, until now. The sword was a shade darker than what it had been originally, with Nordic runes for fire inscribed on both sides of the blade.

"This is Crocea Mors. It was a simple heirloom, but I've added some fire Dust, for added kicks." Jaune explained, intriguing Ruby.

He channeled some Aura into the sword, making the runes glow a deadly orange and causing the sword to burst into flames. It had taken a while, but after some time, Jaune had been able to work with the ore that Sully had given him. When he had eventually been able to melt it all, he'd reforged the original Crocea Mors with this new metal mixed in and carved the runes before it finished cooling. He'd discovered the fiery properties of the ore while doing some earlier experimentation. Sadly, he didn't have enough for Theós. Ruby looked at the blade and nodded in approval. Releasing the aura he was channeling, the flames went out, and Jaune sheathed his blade. Reaching for his other hip, he went to show her his other weapon.

"This is Theós, a bowie knife, and revolver hybrid," Jaune explained his secondary weapon. He shifted it from its gun form to show what the knife blade looked like. He flipped it into the air a few times, catching it with ease after years of practice.

"May I... hold it?" Ruby asked nervously. Jaune nodded and carefully placed Theós into her hands. The crimsonette looked at the knife in confusion. She had worked with a lot of metals and knew a whole lot more but had never seen the likes of what she held in her hand.

"What is it made out off?" Ruby asked. Jaune smiled and chuckled, Hephaestus had done the same.

"It's made out of Damascus Steel. It's the only weapon made out of said metal!" Jaune told her proudly. Ruby stared at the knife then at Jaune, and repeated the process a couple of times, before speeding in front of Jaune and grabbing him by his hoodie.

"Tell me how you made it." Ruby demanded.

He sealed his lips and shook his head. Ruby pouted and started shaking Jaune furiously, but he just laughed. There wasn't any actual force behind her actions. Ruby stopped her assault when he didn't give in within a few moments and continued walking by Jaune's side, though she was still pouting. She remained silent for a bit longer until a thought came to her.

"So... why did you help me back there," Ruby asked timidly.

"It's like my mum always says 'strangers are friends you haven't met yet', and because… well… I was taught to help does in need." Jaune stated with a somewhat goofy smile.

Ruby's face turned a little pink, but thankfully Jaune didn't notice. But the gods did.

" _You made her blush, quick, proclaim your undying love for her!"_ Apollo teased, making Jaune blush a little himself.

" _Leave him be, Apollo."_ Zeus warned, Ra agreeing with the sentiment, making Apollo back off.

"Hey, do you know where to go?" Ruby finally asked as she scanned her surroundings. Jaune chuckled and motioned to her to follow.

The duo arrived at the mass gathering of future students, though Ruby soon left Jaune's side to be with her sister with only a quick explanation as to where she was going. He stood there idly waiting for whoever was going to greet them, making small spheres of lightning, fire, and air out of sheer boredom.

"Jaune?" A familiar sounding voice spoke from behind him. Turning around, Jaune smiled as his eyes landed on Pyrrha. He smiled and approached the tall redhead.

"Pyrrha, it's good to see you again," Jaune said happily. The girl in question shifted in her spot, suddenly looking a bit awkward as if she didn't know what to say now that they were actually conversing.

"Yes… likewise," Pyrrha said while rubbing her arm and looking down at the floor.

Jaune had seen Pyrrha's fourth win and saw how happy she was, and through some time contemplating the matter had come to a conclusion about her. Pyrrha didn't seem to care about the money or the fame that her victories had brought her. In fact, based on some of the things she'd said in the past and how she acted, he suspected that she might even hate it. He was certain that she enjoyed the challenge of a good fight more than anything else… being pushed to her limits and becoming better in the end because of it. It was something Jaune found that he could respect.

"I saw your latest fight. My mother and sister cheered for you, and I may have too." Jaune admitted, scratching the back of his head. He noticed immediately that Pyrrha seemed to lighten up a little again and regained some cheer.

"How have you like your weapons?" Jaune asked, pointing to where they were currently strapped to her back.

"They have worked splendidly, thank you for fixing them." Pyrrha smiled warmly. He noticed right away that it wasn't quite like the smiles she gave during interviews, this seemed much more genuine. Pyrrha moved so that she would be standing beside him.

"Sorry I didn't follow your advice." Pyrrha suddenly blurted out, her face turning almost as red as her hair afterwards.

"Don't worry," he tried to console her. "You're here now, not off basking in your fame as a lesser person might do. You're giving up that career to become a Huntress. I think that speaks volumes about you," Jaune said wisely, surprising Pyrrha, and if he was honest, himself too.

Before much more could be said, an unknown voice echoed across the room. _"… like tall, blond, and scraggly of there…"_

" _Let Fenrir bite that bitch,"_ Loki growled while Quetzalcoatl and Apollo mentally nodded in agreement. Before said king of wolves could pop out, Ozpin came onto the stage and begun speaking. To some, the speech was... somewhat moving, to others it was insulting, but Jaune agreed with the headmaster. A good number the aspiring Huntsmen here with him cared only for their own benefit. It wasn't all of them, but it was still a larger number than there should be in his opinion. Glynda Goodwitch then informed everyone that they were to sleep in the ballroom and then exited the stage. Heading to the locker rooms to change, Jaune still did not notice the same pair of amber eyes tracking him like before.

Changing into a white t-shirt that had 'Felix' written on the back and a pair of black shorts, Jaune headed back to the ballroom. It was packed with guys trying to show off to either their friends or to the numerous girls in attendance. He ignored it for the most part and continued on in search of a comfortable place to rest. He was hoping to find a place where he would not disturb anyone if he woke up during the middle of the night. Spotting a black-haired girl reading a book, he hesitated. Normally, he would've left the girl alone, but there was something about her that reminded him of Blake. Adding the fact that she held said book close up to her face as if she were hiding, he found he was just too curious. He made his way over towards where the girl was sitting.

Jaune didn't waste any time, sitting down nearby. Catching a good glimpse of her eyes before she could cover them behind her book once again, there was no doubt in his mind anymore.

"Hi Blake." Jaune said.

Blake lowered the book in front of her and turned towards him slowly. He smiled, happy to see her after all this time, but that faded when he noticed her bow once again.

"Your bow looks pretty, though I wish you didn't have to wear it." He said sadly. Blake carefully marked her spot in the book before turning to speak to Jaune.

"Me too, but unfortunately it's for the best," Blake responded, a myriad of emotions quickly flashing across her face. Jaune looked around before asking the question that plagued his mind.

"Did you... leave them?" Jaune questioned cautiously. He was quick to note at how she tensed up at even at such a vague reference to the White Fang.

"You could say that." Blake answered. She rubbed her arm as if suddenly cold, not making eye contact. Jaune knew he could push her for information, but he didn't want to make Blake uncomfortable or angry. He was hoping that they could be friends now that they'd reconnected. Any thoughts on the matter were put on hold as Jaune spotted a busty blond girl dragging Ruby towards them.

"I'll let you handle them." Jaune said with a sigh, to which Blake looked at him in confusion.

He stood up and left. By the time Blake had realized what Jaune had meant, it was already too late. Jaune chuckled to himself as he settled down in a corner of the ballroom. Laying there, he couldn't help but think of the people he'd met that day and the ones he'd reconnected with. His time at Beacon was going to be interesting for sure. Before he knew it, his eyelids had grown heavy, and he had fallen asleep.

...

...

...

While everyone in Vale slept, a small meeting was to be held. On a hill that overlooked Beacon, a cloaked figure could be seen, waiting. The figure turned after a while to see a man, around 6'6 in height, with white hair, golden eyes, and pale skin. The man was wearing a white shirt, yellow tie, and brown pants.

"You're late." The cloaked figure spoke with a distorted voice. The other man simply rolled his eyes and walked forward, standing beside the figure.

"It's not easy traversing a Grimm infested forest." The man spoke. The venom in his tone wouldn't be lost to many. "What did you want? Your agent wasn't very clear on this matter."

"What I want is simple. I want you to join us." The figure said.

"Join what exactly?" The man turned towards the figure and glared.

"Remnant is rotting. It has no gods to defend it or rule it. If Ozpin's and Salem's war doesn't destroy it, then civil wars and wars between the kingdoms will. If it weren't for these walls, life expectancy would be in the early thirties, if you're lucky," The figure ranted, emphasizing the last point.

"Get to the point," The man said with narrowed eyes.

"My point is that when society crumbles, it won't be picking itself up. But my followers and I are willing to become its rulers."

"By becoming tyrannical rulers." The man accused.

"Yes, at first the people will not like, but by the time we take over, the Grimm won't be a problem anymore so they can be as negative as they want. Eventually, they'll come around and see us as the shepherds who guided the herd of humanity out of the darkness. This world needs rulers who know what they are doing. That's us. So, what do you say?" The mastermind extended his hand to the man.

The man went to shake the hand but stopped.

"I will join you, but I will not spill any innocent blood. I will only kill when I have too. Understand?" The cloaked figure simply nodded his head, as if the condition was of no consequence. The man shook the masterminds hand after only a moment more of consideration.

"Welcome into the Arms Of Gods, Odin," The figure smiled while Odin had a blank expression. Now, their plans would finally go faster and a whole lot smoother.

* * *

Author's Notes

...I'm back. So, it's been a while. So let me explain. On the 22th was my birthday, so my family and friends took me out and I got mad drunk. This was the first time I had ever gotten drunk. So, had a headache for a day and a half, then to make matters worse, my laptop stopped working. I had to get it fixed and all that stuff. I was two seconds from killing someone. So, sorry it took so damn long to write this I apologize. Also, I was planning to make a third story, it would basically be a story were I just dump all the ideas that are swimming in my mind, and maybe make the cast of Ruby react to them, don't know yet. If I were to create this third story, anyone could take this concepts and make their own story, just PM me and ask for permission. I'll be updating SPC-7223 soon.


	8. Chapter 8

_Gods Within The Arc_

"Speaking"

" _gods/heroes speaking"_

' _Thinking'_

" **Monster/Creatures"**

"Voice over radio"

Chapter 7

Overcoming Trails

Jaune woke up in a cold sweat. It poured from his brow and he found himself panting as if he had ran a full marathon. Jaune's reason for waking up were simple; he had vivid nightmares. This time, he dreamt of a battle that caused the end of everything. Ragnarok. Jaune put his hands over his face, trying hard not to break down.

Everyone and everything has a tipping point, a point where it all breaks. Jaune was lucky to have the gods at his side, helping him, whispering small comforts in his head, but Jaune didn't know how much more he could take. He wished it would all go away but he knew it wouldn't, he couldn't make it go away, all he could do was endure.

Jaune reached for his scroll and saw that there was a whole hour before initiation, so he got up from his resting spot and decided to walk around, hoping to clear the image of Ragnarok out of his head. Maybe he would go have breakfast, maybe get changed.

He carefully maneuvered his way out, a set of magenta eyes following his every move.

Jaune walked the dark halls of Beacon, utterly lost but content as long as his mind was elsewhere, not focusing on Ragnarok.

All the while the gods argued on how to help Jaune deal with his nightmares, everyone was either shouting ideas or shutting down ideas, everyone except Quetzalcoatl.

" _Someone approaches,"_ Quetzalcoatl said softly, but this caused the gods to stop their arguing and Jaune to halt in the middle of the hallway. He turned around and lit a flame with power of Hephaestus, waiting a short while before a figure stepped into the light. Even with the less than illuminating light of the fire in his palm, he recognized the figure as Lie Ren.

"Ren? What are you doing up so early?" Jaune asked, realizing his hypocrisy, muscles relaxing as he dropped his hand to waist level.

"I could ask you the same thing. But let's not talk in the middle of a dark hallway. Come," Ren said, before turning and walking away. Jaune shrugged and followed him. It was better than wandering the halls of Beacon.

The two walked into the cafeteria, immediately going over to grab a bite to eat. Ren grabbed some soup native to Mistral and Jaune grabbed some French toast and some orange juice. Jaune and Ren sat down and begun to eat their respective meals in silence, until Jaune spoke.

"So, why are you up so early and why were you following me?" Jaune asked, curious as to Ren's actions. Ren took another sip from his soup before addressing Jaune.

"To answer your first question, I tend to wake up early to make Nora breakfast. This time though, since there's a cafeteria, I decided to catch up on a book I've been reading," Ren said, level-headedly, voice neutral. "As for your second question, you seem to have had an even worse nightmare than the one you had back in the bullhead. So, I decided to make sure you were okay."

"I appreciate it, but why help me?" Jaune asked, hoping Ren wouldn't take offense, thankful when he didn't. Ren simply finished his soup, before once more addressing Jaune.

"Everyone has to experience nightmares once in a while, but they don't have to do it alone, do they?" Ren said wisely.

"I guess you're right. But, for what it's worth, thanks for helping me here and in the that metal death trap," Jaune said with a small smile, a smile that Ren returned.

"I should head back, before Nora wakes up and does something that we'll both regret." Ren stood up, said goodbye, and left.

Jaune watched the boy leave before continuing to eat his meal in relative peace. At least, before Jaune heard several footsteps and voices coming towards the cafeteria. Jaune finished his meal in a hurry and then booked it.

Time had flown so quickly, Jaune only had a couple of minutes to grab his gear and get ready.

Jaune found himself wandering about the locker room, cursing in Egyptian and Greek. As for why? Well, he couldn't find his damn locker.

* * *

"Come on! I don't remember counting up to 636!" Jaune exclaimed in frustration.

"Jaune?" A voice spoke from behind Jaune, causing him to turn and find Ruby, accompanied by a blonde girl, walking towards him. Jaune's frustration seem to subside, enabling him to smile and wave at the pair.

"Hey Ruby, how's it going?" Jaune greeted with his normal cheery attitude, though his tone held traces of his prior frustration.

"It's going great! Oh, forgot to motion, this is my sister, Yang," Ruby said, gesturing at the blonde girl.

Now if Jaune had to describe Yang in one word, that word would be beautiful. She had stunningly blonde, long hair, mischievous lilac eyes, and a very attractive physique. Jaune extended his hand out to greet his fellow blonde, making sure to ignore Apollo's and Loki's teasing.

"I'm Jaune Arc, pleased to meet you," Jaune said in a friendly and well-mannered voice.

"Yang Xiao-Long, likewise," Yang said with a pleasant smile on her face. "Ruby told me what you did for her, I appreciate it." Jaune recognized that sisterly tone.

"I don't know what I would do if my little sister got hurt," Yang said, striking a dramatic pose, causing Ruby to pout and Jaune to crack a small grin.

"Yang, stop it! I'm not little, I drink milk!" Ruby exclaimed, the latter part spoken in a matter-of-fact way.

Yang simply laughed and started to mess around with Ruby, something the younger girl found to be rather irritating. After another moment of watching older sister tease younger sister, Jaune bid farewell to the two and embarked on his odyssey to find his locker.

With the small aiding hand of Ruby, Jaune finally found the damn thing, but Jaune saw that Pyrrha and the white haired girl from earlier were standing right in front of it.

So, Jaune simply walked up to duo and overheard something about team forming, something Jaune knew nothing about.

"Hello ladies," Jaune said. What was supposed to come out all suave and cool sounding came out sounding gods awful, his delivery lacking due to his voice cracking.

Pyrrha and the white haired girl paused and turned towards him, with two different reactions. Pyrrha seemed pleased to see him, and was sporting her real smile. The white haired girl looked like she was two literal seconds from murdering him. Of course, if she tried that Fenrir would jump in right away, but it was the expression that hurt more.

"What do _**you**_ want?" The white haired girl, who Jaune recognized as Weiss Schnee, heiress to SDC, asked, voice dripping with venom.

Jaune cleared his throat to make sure he would avoid any more embarrassment and/or creating any material for Apollo's or Loki's teasing, before deciding to speak.

"Well, you're in front of my locker. I would like to get my equipment before initiation," Jaune said, hoping not to enrage the heiress. To his surprise, Weiss blinked owlishly before stepping aside, allowing Jaune to finally complete his odyssey. Jaune opened his locker and started to put on his equipment but was still interested in the topic they were discussing.

"So...what was this I hear about teams?" Jaune asked but before Pyrrha could answer, knowing the question was probably meant for her, Weiss butted in.

"Do you have any idea who you are talking to?" Weiss asked harshly, ticking off Loki, Apollo and even Quetzalcoatl, though thankfully Baldur held them back.

Once more, before Jaune could give an answer, Weiss spoke.

"This is Pyrrha Nikos. She graduated at the top of her class at Sanctum and established a new world record by winning the Mistral Regional Tournament four times," Weiss said boastfully, as if said accomplishments were her own.

Jaune knew of Pyrrha's winning streak but knew not of her accomplishments in her academics. Jaune turned towards Pyrrha, who in turn, turned towards him and give him a weak chuckle while she scratched the back of her head.

"You graduated at the top of your class?" Jaune curiously asked, drowning out whatever the Heiress was saying, which sounded like something about Pumpkin Pete?

"Yes..." Was Pyrrha's response. It was low, barely audible to Jaune but due to his training he was able to just hear it.

"How cool, so you're not only good at combat but you're also incredibly smart. To top it all off, you know how to use the weapons that _**I made**_ for you." Jaune said that almost innocently, almost. Jaune had put a little too much emphasis on the last part, and it wasn't accidental. Weiss's rambling ceased to a halt, she blinked a couple of times before she register what the scraggly blond had just said.

"Wait, you made them?" Weiss said slowly, still in disbelief.

"Well I didn't make them, but I did fix them right up. If I hadn't, she wouldn't have won her fourth tournament," Jaune said, once more, voice laden with fake innocence.

Weiss took a very small step back and finally realized who she was talking t. The scraggly blond that stood in front of her, the very same she had insulted yesterday, was the very man that made all Atlesian politicians scramble to cut a deal with him so that he'd work for them. The very same that her sister Winter describe to her. Jaune Arc. And now, Weiss very much realized what she had done and what she had to do. Weiss took a step back before bowing slightly.

"I'm terribly sorry for my behavior just now...and for insulting you yesterday," Weiss apologized in a formal manner. To other people, this would have been just a person of high reputation try to save some face after an embarrassing moment, but Jaune could tell Weiss was sincere about her apology. Well, it wasn't completely sincere but it was something. People like Weiss always had some sort of agenda.

"It's alright, no harm no foul, right?" Jaune said, this time sporting a friendly smile. Weiss looked at Jaune before nodding, before Jaune proceeded to change into his combat armor and was in the process of putting on Crocea Mors and Theós before Weiss spoke out.

"Jaune, was it? If you're interested, you could join our team," Weiss offered in a low and soft voice. Jaune finished putting on his gear before turning to address Weiss.

"Sadly I don't think we have a say in the matter. From what I was told, teams are selected by the professors, sorry," Jaune explained. Due to his sisters attending Beacon prior to him, he had a slight advantage over everyone. He didn't know everything, like knowing what the initiation was going to be or how teams were selected. His sisters had told him to take everything with a grain of salt, knowing the initiation is bound to change.

Weiss deflated upon hearing this, her plans of being with Pyrrha ruined. Pyrrha also deflated, knowing that she couldn't snatch Jaune for herself.

Soon after, Jaune bid the girls goodbye and wished them luck, which he doubted they'd need.

* * *

The outside was bright, but Jaune's eyes adjusted quickly, and saw everyone lined up at the edge of a cliff overlooking the beautiful and deadly Emerald Forest.

Apollo noted how all the students were standing on some sort of platform. Jaune proceeded to take an empty one that was right next to Ruby. Ruby waved at him and mouthed a quick 'good luck'. Jaune did the same mouthing a 'you too' back at Ruby, something that made her smile with glee.

Of course, the jovial atmosphere couldn't last as Ozpin and his Headmistress Glynda walked out. Jaune then felt...odd, to say the least. Jaune turned his head towards the source of whatever it was, and found it was coming from the Headmaster.

An odd aura was coming from the Headmaster, but as quickly as it came, it vanished. Jaune quickly dismissed it and chalked it up as a side effect for being nervous. Jaune then quickly shook himself out of his thoughts in time to catch the last thing the headmaster said

"...the first person you make eye contact will be your partner for the next four years," Ozpin said nonchalantly, ignoring or simply not caring that the students either voiced their complaints or had a small mental breakdown like Ruby. Once more the voice of the Headmaster fell to deaf ears for Jaune, as he simply picked up small snippets of what he was saying, important things like going to the northern part of the forest, some type of mock relic that need to be collected, how they would be graded on their performance, and how they would need to get back here with said relic, but something was missing.

"Are there any questions?" Ozpin asked. This prompted Jaune to raise his hand but he went ignored by Ozpin, who pretended not to notice him. After several more moments, he relented with a small sigh.

"Yes, Mr. Arc, do you have a question?" Ozpin asked.

"Yes, so um, are we going to be dropped off or something?" Jaune asked, curious as to how they would be getting to the Emerald Forest. His answer came in the form of Weiss being catapulted into the forest.

"No, you will be falling," Ozpin said with a mischievous smile, one that installed both pride and fear into Loki. The moment after the man finished talking, Jaune heard gears and pistons moving below him, prompting him to utter one word before being launched into the belling of the beast.

"Fuck..."

And then he was catapulted.

* * *

As Jaune soared ungracefully through the sky, he watched as everyone else either used their semblance or weapons to land. Jaune quickly switched over to Zeus and begun flying as if he were one with wind.

Jaune soon found himself peacefully flying over the forest gracefully, though unfortunately it didn't last very long.

" _Jaune! Three-o-clock!"_ Someone called out. Jaune didn't bother with the who, he cared more about what they were warning him about. Jaune spotted a javelin coming straight for him.

Acting quickly, Jaune flew a bit lower, allowing the javelin to fly above him and once it was directly above him, Jaune twisted his body and managed to grab the projectile. Due to the momentum, Jaune was carried a small way before coming to a dead halt in the air. The teen took a closer look at the weapon and recognized it as Miló. Jaune then heard a distanced 'I'm sorry' from what sounded like Pyrrha.

" _Is that girl crazy?! That could have killed us!"_ Quetzalcoatl said, making his concern know to Jaune.

" _Relax Quetz, I have aura, remember? It would have protected me,"_ Jaune said, reassuring the Aztec deity of his safety. Jaune liked how the gods expressed their concern in their own different way, it was rather comforting.

' _Now, to return this to its rightful owner."_ Jaune thought, before soaring towards the direction were the javelin came from.

Jaune flew just above the trees, keeping a close eye out for the redheaded owner of Miló. In the distance, Jaune heard what sounded like fighting, so he quickly sped off into the direction were the fighting was coming from.

Jaune arrived at a clearing, only to see Pyrrha fighting a cluster of Ursa with only her shield. Jaune notice that one of the bear-like-Grimm snuck up behind her and was now charging towards her. Jaune wound back the javelin and begun to charge it with lightning before letting it soar straight through the head of the Ursa, pinning it to the floor. The fighting ceased as Pyrrha and even the Grimm stared at the decomposing body, only for Jaune to land next to it and pulling Miló without problem. Jaune tossed Miló to its owner and made direct eye contact.

"I believe this yours, partner," Jaune said, cracking a small smile. Pyrrha, in turn, smiled gleefully before falling into a battle stance. Jaune unsheathed his sword and bowie knife as he too fell into a battle stance. The Ursa shook themselves out of their funk and went back to being their usual, murderous selves.

Jaune smirked and bolted towards the nearest Ursa, avoiding the incoming paw aimed for his face, before stabbing the Grimm with Theós and letting lightning course through it, frying it in the process.

Pyrrha turn Miló into rifle mode and started firing at the Grimm with marksman-like precision, but one broke the line and begun charging. Pyrrha simply shifted Miló into javelin form and threw it, allowing it to lodge itself into the Grimm's head before being pulled back thanks to her semblance.

Back with Jaune, he had just decapitated an Ursa before charging towards another, when Jaune misread one of its attacks and was forced into a situation where he couldn't dodge. He switched to Baldur and tanked the hit and then proceeded to hack at its left side, making it roar in pain and allowing Jaune to jam Theós, in revolver form, into its mouth and begin firing into the bear-like Grimm. Jaune kicked the Grimm away and shifted Theós back to bowie knife form in time to stab a Ursa, who tried to flank him, with Theós' and Crocea Mors' blades puncturing through skin and flesh with ease.

The blond host turn to see his partner make quick work of two Ursai. The redhead threw her shield at one of the Ursa stunning it and then her shield flew back towards her, allowing to club the other one over the head before sheathing her Xiphos in the Grimm's head. She then shifted Miló once more into rifle form and fired one shot towards the remaining Ursa, successfully getting a clean headshot.

With the fighting over, Pyrrha and Jaune were allowed to catch their breath and this allowed Jaune to ask an important question.

"Why...did...you throw...a javelin at me?" Jaune asked through tired and labored breaths.

"I...thought...you...didn't..."Pyrrha said before stopping herself mid-way. After taking several deep breaths, she continued, "...have a landing strategy." Jaune noticed a subtle pink tint on her face while she spoke.

"Well, we should get going. After you, partner." Jaune spoke normally once more, but his face maintained a goofy grin as he spoke. After composing herself a bit more, Pyrrha nodded and took him up on that offer by walking ahead of him.

Jaune didn't see but Pyrrha had the brightest smile plastered across her face.

* * *

The lovely duo walked through the forest completely unchallenged. There were no Grimm to be heard or fought, almost as if they had just up-and-vanished, but being seasoned warriors, both Pyrrha and Jaune kept themselves on high alert. Their walk was quiet and peaceful, rarely breaking the silence for anything, apart from the occasional trivial question. Soon, the duo stopped in front of a cave.

"Do you think this is it?" Pyrrha asked, making sure to keep her voice down to ensure that no Grimm could hear them. When she turned to Jaune for an answer, she spotted him looking at what appeared to be cave drawings. Jaune stared intently at the crude drawings, seemingly depicting ancient men fighting a large scorpion, most definitely a Grimm.

"No, I don't think this is it but I believe this might be a short-cut to our objective," Jaune replied, but just as Pyrrha was about to enter, Jaune stopped her.

"These cave drawings speak of a scorpion-like-Grimm, a Deathstalker I believe. It may be a warning, so we need to be on high alert," Jaune explained, dead serious. The redhead nodded, understanding the severity of the situation. Jaune lit a flame on his palm with the power of Hephaestus, surprising Pyrrha quite a bit but she simply pushed it away for the moment. She would have time to ask questions after all this was over.

As they traversed deeper into the narrow cave, they stumbled upon a glowing object. Jaune approached the glowing object while Pyrrha guarded his rear but right before he could grab it, his instincts screamed at him to move, and he obeyed without missing a beat.

He nearly didn't avoid a giant pincer that was aimed straight for him. Jaune let out a stream of fire that lit up almost the entire cave, and from the darkness, Jaune caught a glimpse of an Elder Deathstalker, so huge it could almost reach the ceiling of the cave. Pyrrha engaged, shooting at it while Jaune relentlessly burned it.

In its rage, the Deathstalker slammed into the cave wall, causing the cave to shake and rumble violently. So violently, in fact, that it caused some of the stalactites above Jaune to fall. Thankfully the gods warned him in time allowing him to roll to the side and avoid becoming impaled.

" _Jaune, we have to get out of here! We can't fight it in this enclosed space, let alone in the dark. The more we fight in here, the more we run the risk of becoming trapped here,"_ Zeus warned. Jaune understood and quite frankly, he didn't need to be told twice to know that fighting in a cave with a giant Grimm was a very bad idea.

"Pyrrha! Run for the exit, I'll keep its attention on me!" Jaune shouted over the constant gunfire. Pyrrha fired a couple more shots and then booked it like a bat out of hell, headed back the way they came. Jaune kept the stream of fire for a few more seconds before he himself sprinted out. Sadly, his attack didn't stun the Grimm for long as it was now charging at him in a blind rage.

Jaune could see that it was gaining on them and if he didn't act quickly, him and Pyrrha would be trampled underneath the giant Deathstalker. Right when he was about to switch over to Zeus to fly out of there, his world went black. Unlike passing out, however, he was still very much conscious.

Then, after a small moment, his eyes were assaulted by a very bright light, as Jaune adjusted to his surroundings and noted that Pyrrha and him were now outside the cave. Before he could question what had just happened, a roar filled with pure rage echoed out of the cave. Acting quickly, Jaune summoned Ra's power and created several Mini Suns. He then proceeded to launch them at the top of the exit, successfully causing a cave-in.

"Come on, that won't hold it for long," Jaune said, prompting Pyrrha to start running alongside him.

" _Was that one of you guys?"_ Jaune questioned the gods but they simply remained quiet, as equally confused as their host.

The blond host and the amazon warrior traversed through the dense forest until they reached some ruins. Standing in said ruins were Yang and Blake, but before Jaune could catch a damn break, screaming was heard from above.

Everyone set their eyes to the sky, only to see Ruby falling from what appeared to be a Nevermore. With a tired sigh and a roll of his eyes, Jaune zoomed over to the falling reaper and successfully caught her in a bridal style. Jaune then landed and put Ruby on her feet, allowing her brush of dust and wrinkles on her skirt. Before Jaune could ask why on Tartarus she was falling from a Nevermore, a roar erupt causing everyone to reach for their weapons and fall into their stances.

Everyone turned towards the direction of the roar, waiting patiently for the beast to reveal itself. And from the bushes, a Ursa came in but before they could open fire, it fell to the ground dead.

"Aww, it broke," A voice said with childish disappointment. Jaune looked up only to see a girl with orange hair and turquoise eyes. Right behind her was Ren, hanging onto the protruding bones of the Ursa like his life depended on it, which was probably the case.

"Nora...never...do...that again...please," Ren begged, with pleading eyes that belonged better on a convict on death row. But his desperate plea fell on deaf ears because when he looked up he found his partner already in front of what seemed to be a rook piece. The newly identified Nora picked it up and begun to sing something about her being the queen of the castle. The calm monk finally snapped.

"Nora!" Ren shouted to his partner.

"Coming Ren!" Was the ginger's response. Nora took the rook and hopped back to her partner.

Jaune turned to Ren for some sort of explanation, but only received a tired look and sigh. Now at this point, Jaune and the gods had the most powerful headache known to man, and as Jaune massaged his temples, he felt someone tapping on his shoulder. He turn to see Ruby pointing straight up. Jaune followed Ruby's finger and saw that she was pointing at the Nevermore. Upon closer inspection, Jaune found that Weiss was riding the oversized bird and he noted that her grip was faltering.

"How could you leave me!" Weiss shouted, struggling to keep her grip on the bird's feathers.

"I said jump!" Ruby shouted back at her apparent partner. Weiss tried to steady her grip but only made herself falter and begin plunging straight towards Remnant. Jaune stood there for a moment or two only to realize everyone was looking at him. And so, with a another very tired sigh and with help from Zeus, Jaune shot straight forward towards Weiss. Jaune caught Weiss midair and brought both himself and her down to safety and as Jaune touched down, he gently put Weiss on her feet.

"Thank you," Weiss said with genuine gratitude, and if Jaune's eyes saw correctly, she had the faintest trace of a smile. Jaune's reply was cut short when the Deathstalker lived up to its name and broke through the tree line.

"Great, the gang's all here, now we can all die together," Yang said, her morbid comment demoralizing everyone expect Ruby.

"Not if I can help it!" Ruby's comment was heroic, but it was reckless and suicidal too. Before she could rush off to engage the Grimm, Jaune took a hold of her cape and stopped her.

"Our objective isn't to fight it, but to retrieve the relics. Let's not put ourselves in unnecessary danger," Jaune's words held wisdom but also concern.

Having little room for argument and having fallen into a mutual agreement, the pairs each collected one of the chess pieces and begun to haul ass out of there into the dense forest. Using their years of training, everyone traversed the forest easily and differently, some using their weapons while others used their semblances.

Jaune was flying above the trees, noting that the Deathstalker didn't relent on its pursuit, knocking down tree and stamping through everything that was in his path. Jaune also noted that the Nevermore was on their tail too, patiently flying over them, waiting to strike.

The colorful band of trainees quickly found themselves in other set of ruins, this had old and moss covered pillars and an old looking bridge that looked like it was bound to collapse if somebody so much as breathe in its direction.

Having no other alternative, the seven hunters-in-training begun to cross the bridge whilst Jaune threw lightning bolts at the Deathstalker to ensure everyone crossed safely.

Jaune was too preoccupied with the scorpion to notice the Nevermore aligning itself adjacent to the bridge, flying right through it as if it was made of paper. Thankfully, nobody was on its path of destruction, but sadly it did divided the group. Now, Ren, Nora, and Pyrrha were stuck facing the Deathstalker while Ruby and the rest of the girls face against the Nevermore. Jaune threw one last bolt of lightning and flew on down to regroup with everyone else.

"Jaune, are you okay?" Ren asked while reloading his submachine guns. Jaune finally noticed how much he was twitching and how deep and labored his breathes were, meaning he was running out of stamina due to the overuse of Zeus's lightning.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I've just overused my semblance a bit, but I should be fine," Jaune said, giving Ren his most convincing smile that he could conjure.

Ren, of course, didn't buy it but if anyone would know Jaune's limitations would be Jaune himself, so Ren said nothing and simply nodded.

" _How do we take that thing down?"_ Jaune asked for some helpful advice from the gods.

" _I may have an idea."_ Was Baldur's responds. Jaune stood motionless from a second, analyzing and hearing out Baldur's plan until a small grin appeared on his face. Jaune sheathed his weapons, and summoned Baldur power.

"Ren! When I give the signal, be ready to take out its stinger!" Jaune shouted loud enough for his comrade to hear him.

Sadly, Ren didn't get the chance to ask what the signal was because Jaune zoomed past him and the others, and intercepted the Deathstalker's pincers, holding both in place. The Deathstalker gladly accepted the challenge of strength and begun to slowly put its weight on this opponent but when it saw that Jaune was holding his own against it, it decided to cheat.

The Deathstalker lifted its stinger and brought it down hard on the blond host's chest, but before the other could react properly, Jaune give the signal.

"Ren! Now!" Jaune said shouted easily, as if the stinger that had been plunged in his chest was nothing but a minor inconvenience.

Ren shook his shock away and proceeded with Jaune's plan. The boy ran as fast as his legs could carry him towards the Deathstalker and when he had reached it, he vaulted over one of the pincers and hopped on top of its stinger, decapitating the head of the stinger by putting StormFlower on either side of it and slashing it horizontally. The Deathstalker didn't like that, if it's roar of extreme pain was anything to go by.

It whipped its stinger-less tail violently in an effort to get rid of Ren. It worked, as the boy found himself flung off the tail and impact against a pillar. Jaune, stinger still in his chest, used this opening to push off the Deathstalker off of him and to remove the deadly stinger from his person.

Jaune then proceeded to turn the stinger around and stab the owner with its own natural weapon. The scorpion didn't take kindly to this and hit Jaune with one of its pincers, knocking the blond host to the side. Jaune tried to get up only for a black aura to surround him and whisk him away out of the path of the now pissed off Deathstalker. Jaune was brought towards Pyrrha and Nora, the latter shooting a grenade launcher, saying something about retribution. The black aura stopped and the hero found himself in front of his partner with her eyes closed. Once they opened, they were instantly filled with concern.

"Jaune, are you okay? Are you hurt?" Pyrrha asked worryingly, looking up and down Jaune's body, trying to make sure he was okay.

"I'm fine Pyrrha, I swear. But let's not focus on me, we have to focus on killing that thing," Jaune said, looking towards the Deathstalker that was now dealing with a barrage of grenades, courtesy of Nora. Jaune's eyes searched for Ren, finding that he was already up and attacking the Grimm but Jaune noticed that his moves had become sluggish and he was doing less acrobatics than before.

Jaune, once more, changed to Zeus and begun to charge lightning on his hand but was stopped by Nora.

"Oooo lightning, quick, hit me, hit me!" Nora said, confusing the hell out of Jaune and the gods.

"Jaune, just do it!" Ren said, dodging another attack from the Grimm. Ren could regret his choice later. Jaune looked at Ren a while longer, and trusted his judgement. Jaune charged up a bolt and fired it towards Nora, who took it like it was nothing.

"Hehehe, tickles!" Nora said manically. Nora then begun running towards Pyrrha. "Heads up!" She said, already mid-jump. Pyrrha understood and acted quickly, putting up her shield up, allowing the ginger maniac to jump on it and push off of it like a spring board.

Nora shifted her weapon into its hammer form while several feet up in the air, where she began coming down, spinning along with her hammer, giggling crazily the whole way down. Nora brought down her hammer on the Deathstalker, specifically on the stinger on its head. The stinger went right through the poor Grimm, killing it instantly, and to add insult to injury, Nora discharged some form of pink lightning, electrocuting the already lifeless Grimm. Jaune broke into a smile, but remembered that Ruby and the others were facing against a giant Nevermore. Jaune turn and so did the other, and together they caught a glimpse of Ruby decapitating the Nevermore. Jaune and his 'team' all grinned but their victory was cut short when the floor below them began to crack.

"Run!" Pyrrha shouted, prompting the others to run to Ruby's side of the bridge. As they all hauled ass, they didn't notice Ren lagging behind. As they neared the edge, one by one, they jumped safely to the other side, and when it was Ren's turn, his jump was sluggish and was lacking the right distance. Ren hit the edge and plunged to the abyss below.

"Ren!" Nora cried out, but before tears could form, Jaune had already jumped down to save his brother-in-arms. Several tensed moments passed and nothing happened. The happy mood that had befell Ruby and her 'team' died as several more moments passed. Pyrrha knew Jaune could fly, but she had overheard him say that he had over used his semblance, maybe...he had reached his limit?

' _No, you can't think like that,'_ Pyrrha thought, reassuring herself that Jaune would be okay. He would save Ren. She just had to have a little bit of faith. After a couple more moments Nora sunk to her knees but before she could begin sobbing, a loud _**Boom**_ broke the silence as two blurs flew out of the abyss below. The blurs fell on the bridge in a coughing fit, one trying to regain the air that was knocked out of him when he hit the edge of the bridge while the other tried to regain his strengths after over-exerting himself.

"Thank, * **cough** *, you." Ren said, still trying to recover.

"No problem* **cough*** " Jaune replied, a small goofy and infectious smile on his face. It was so infectious that it even got Ren to smile, albeit being a small smile. After a while, both guys stood up, only for one to be tackled by an orange blur.

"Renny! I'm so glad you're okay!" Nora said, hugging what little life was left in Ren. Nora wiped the tears that had formed and proceeded to murder Ren with hugs. Ren tried to hug back but sadly, he couldn't, not that he minded, if the small smile was anything to go by.

" _That girl reminds me of Thor,"_ Loki said, making himself and Baldur shudder at the thought of that mindless brute. Jaune simply smiled at the scene until he was punch in the shoulder. Jaune turned and found the culprit to be his partner.

"That was incredibly stupid. Don't ever do that again." Pyrrha tried to sound harsh but the small smile of relief on her face made it hard for her to stay mad at Jaune.

"I'm sorry Pyr, I'll try not to do it again but I promise you nothing." Jaune said but he knew his nature, he knew he was a selfless person, so he knew he would be putting his life in the line if it meant saving the innocent and those he loved. Jaune regrouped with the others, so that they can finally finish their initiation.

* * *

The Beacon staff allowed the initiates to rest for an hour before they were called out to begin their ceremony. One by one, teams were formed and leaders were chosen. The third to last team to be created was team CRDL, led by one Cardin Winchester.

"Jaune Arc, Lie Ren, Pyrrha Nikos, and Nora Valkyrie. The four of you retrieved the white rook pieces," The Headmaster said, a screen to his right displayed their faces and a letter from their first name, or last in Ren's case. "From this day onwards, you will be known as team JNPR, led by...Jaune Arc. Congratulations, young man." Ozpin said, the 'J' for Jaune becoming red, symbolizing his role. Nora, once more, hugged Ren and Pyrrha proceeded to playfully punch him in the shoulder, though thankfully he didn't lose his balance.

"Thank you, sir." Was the only thing that Jaune could say, quite surprised that he was chosen. He and his newly formed team walked off the stage to allowed the final team to be created.

"And finally, Blake Belladonna, Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, and Yang Xiao Long. The four of you retrieve the white knight pieces. From this day onward, you will be known as team RWBY, led by...Ruby Rose." Ozpin finalized, leaving Ruby and Weiss in quite a shock. Yang congratulated her little sister by wrapping her in a sisterly hug.

Jaune would have been happy but there was something that still two things that bugged him. Firstly, how had he and Pyrrha end up outside the cave? It was as if he and Pyrrha had teleported or something. The gods had promised that none of them could teleport, and from what he saw, Pyrrha's semblance appears to be some sort of telekinesis. And secondly, what was that odd feeling he got in the cliffs? Jaune would have dismissed it as him being nervous but the gods insisted that something was wrong with Ozpin. The gods told him he wasn't a host but something else. Jaune would have to look into this soon, but at the moment he could push that aside to do more important stuff, like figuring where his team's dorm was.

The newly formed teams JNPR and RWBY found themselves walking to the same destination. Due to some unseen force, be it luck, the intervention of a god or something else, both team's dorms were right across from each other. Both team idly chatted with each other about trivial stuff to better get to know each other.

Everyone but Nora, who was out like a lightbulb and being given a piggy back ride by Ren, and Blake. Blake seem to be lagging behind them all, quietly staring that the floor, as if looking for something. Jaune begun to slow down his pace very subtly until he was now walking side-by-side with Blake. Both must have the same idea because they started to walking even slower to the point where they were both sure they were out of ear shot, although, that didn't stop them from talking in whispers.

"What's wrong?" Jaune asked softly, but he already had a good guess as to what was going on.

"My team, they... they don't know I'm a Faunus. Let alone that I had affiliation with the White Fang," Blake whispered back, making sure to say the last part as quiet as Faunusly possible. "Not to mention that a Schnee is part of my team."

Enough was said with that comment. Jaune had heard the many rumors that surrounded the Schnee family, some false and some, sadly, truth.

"Don't worry about it," Jaune begun whispering. "If you don't want to tell them right now, you don't have too. But you'll have to do it eventually, because if you don't, it will come back and bite you." Blake let those words sink in. Last time when Jaune warned her of something, she hadn't listened properly, and she had paid for it dearly. Now, she would listen and act on his words.

"Besides, Ruby and Yang seem to be decent people. I don't belief they're racist or bigoted, so you should he okay with telling them... Weiss, well, we'll have to wait and see," Jaune said, further reassuring Blake that everything would be fine, although she wasn't sure Weiss would change, but all she could do was wait and see.

The rest of the walk was followed by a comfortable silence between the blond host and the Faunus in disguise, with Blake wearing the faintest smile. Both teams reached their dorms, bid their goodnights, and headed on inside. The interior was pretty simple, four beds on all corners of the room, a dresser for each one, and an adjacent bathroom.

Several boxes and backpacks were inside the room too, containing clothes or other essential items. No one really bothered to unpack, team JNPR idly changing into something comfortable to sleep in, even in their tiredness, they still remembered that they were of the opposite sex, so Pyrrha and Nora changed in the bathroom while Jaune and Ren changed in the dorm room. As Jaune laid his head on his pillow, he instantly succumbed to exhaustion and fell asleep unaware of the fifth figure that inhabited his dorm. The figure looked down on Jaune's resting form and smile a smile that only a mother could muster. The figure then vanished, leaving the blond host to rest, she would be speaking to him tomorrow morning.

...

...

...

As the city of Vale rested peacefully, the shadows made their move.

In an abandoned warehouse in Vale, Odin was overseeing Seth's progress.

"Are you done yet!?" Odin questioned, frustration and annoyance dripping from his tone. Seth turned away from the mess of wires and regarded the Viking god.

"Do _**you**_ want to do this, huh!?" Seth retorted, second away from snapping and pulling another Osiris sarcophagus. Odin stayed silent but glared at the Egyptian god. To Odin's right stood the figure known as the Master. His features were hidden to the outside world by a cloak and a mask but if anyone could see his face, they would find a small amused smile decorating it. The Master heard footsteps behind him and instantly knew it was his two most loyal bodyguards; the Oni.

The Oni were dressed in black samurai armor, or a pretty close match to samurai as they could get, and wore demonic masks of different colors. Their weapons varied, the one with a green mask had a katana resting on his hip while the one with a blue mask had two short swords on her back. The Master turned towards them to hear their report.

"Sir, the area is clear, although there are some drunks here and there, but nothing that should disturb us." The one with the blue mask said, her voice muffled by the mask.

"Good, you two have done well. Be on standby, the meeting shall commence shortly." The Master said, his voice lacking any distortions or voice changers. He turned back his attention to Odin's and Seth's banter and retorts towards each other, silently enjoying their little argument. Several minutes passed before Seth's connected the right wire and two screens to his right lit up. The screens show static for a several seconds before clearing up and showing two figures: one male, the other female.

The male figure appeared to be an old and fragile man, around his late sixties or early seventies. His grey hair was messy and unkempt, as was his beard and mustache, his skin a ghostly white. He was wearing a fancy grey jacket with a red shirt under it. He had one grey eye and one robotic eye that glowed a deadly red. Due to the screen, his whole lower body was hidden from view.

The female figure appeared to be a snake Faunus, around her mid-twenties. She was around 5'7 and had a physique that men would kill for. She had short brown hair that was tied up in a ponytail, and mesmerizing yellow eyes, with slight slits like that of an actual snake. Her skin was tanned, brown scales decorated her arms and the base of her neck. She was wearing a form fitting dress similar to the one that her leader wore, except that her's was a dark green and it didn't leave her chest and back exposed. She also wore a black fingerless gloves that had golden hieroglyphs on the back. The female figure was a little farther away from the screen then the male one, so you could see that she was wearing brown pants.

"Apep. Dr. Merlot. I hope this meeting hasn't disturbed either of you," The Master said, hoping he didn't catch his followers at a bad time, he wouldn't want to blow their cover.

"Not at all, sir." The snake Faunus Apep relied, her voice was smooth yet dangerous.

"Of course not!" Merlot said. He sounded like both an elegant and educated man, and a mad and deranged scientist.

"Good. Then let's us get this meeting started. Merlot, your report please," The Master said, the madman nodded before speaking up.

"Everything has being going splendid on my end! The new specimens you have brought me are just wonderful. They're resilient, I'll give you that, but give me some time and I should be able to break them in no time. They shall soon serve us like loyal animals," The doctor said, an insane smile forming on his face before turning into a frown. "Although the natives of this island are quite resilient too. They and I are now stuck in a stalemate but fret not, I have everything under control. But if I should need assistance I'll let you know." The mad doctor concluded. The mastermind nodded, turning towards the other screen that displayed Apep.

"Apep, how is everything on your end?" He asked. Apep's face contorted into a sour frown before she begun talking.

"The situation isn't looking good sir. The White Fang has been split down the middle. Some ally themselves with High Leader Khan while others side with the previous leader; Ghira Belladonna. To make matters worse, the Vacuan branch of the White Fang have defected and has now become a mercenary group dedicated to keeping order in Vacuo. The small foot hold that we possessed in Atlas was been snuffed out, to nobody's surprise. The Mistral branch is fairing off quite well, better than any of the other branches. And the Valean branch… is not looking good." She paused for a second to catch her breath before she continued. "As you already know, the Valean branch of the White Fang is under Cinder's control, although they still follow orders from the higher-ups to the letter, but I fear that a coup is being brewed by Adam Taurus. On the subject of Adam, his mental stability has been deteriorating ever since his partners untimely departure and betrayal. That was the bad news. The good news is that High Leader Khan has begun to trust me more than before, allowing me to become her personal adviser. That would be it for my report," The snake Faunus concluded her lengthy report.

The Master stood silent, allowing himself to soak in all the information that was just told. After a while, he nodded and processed to tell Odin to give his report.

"I've been keeping tabs with my old connection in the criminal underworld and I've got to say, I've never seen them this frighten before. Whomever you've sent me to track, whoever this Vulpes character is, they're good. No trace of them, as if they were not even there to begin with." Odin said, impressed to see that someone was able to get passed old Junior. That man was able to track and locate anyone, if he didn't know better, he would have thought Junior was hosting a god of knowledge.

"You mentioned the criminals fearing this Vulpes, why?" The Master asked, knowing that the crime families were not easily scared.

"That's because whoever he or she is, have been able to dismantle and systematically wipe out Los Rojos and Los Azules, in a span of a fucking month. Two major crime families that the Valean police have been trying to crack down on for some time now." This came to a surprise to those who knew the power that both crime families possessed. Los Rojos and Los Azules were basically untouchable, you tried anything against them, no one would hear from you again. To hear that this person annihilated them in a month painted how dangerous they were.

"Is there anything else?" The Master asked, hoping that there would be good news to Odin's report. But there wasn't any.

"Yes, one of my contacts in the force gave me this photo that was taken from the last crime scenes." Odin proceeded to hand the Master a photo that had a man that been tortured to the point that his face was barely recognizable. His fingers had been broken and burned repeatedly, the man's chest was exposed, revealing lacerations and burn marks. His eyes were gouged out and his neck had been slit opened but his focus was not on the man but on the message paint on the wall with blood.

"Para bellum. Prepare for war. " The Master uttered the phrase.

"Do you think its directed towards us?" Merlot asked.

"I'm not quite sure. It could be or maybe it could be meant for another crime family. All I know is that we need to keep a close eye on them. In case they are planning to attack us, we need all the information we need. Odin, compile all the information you can get about the Vulpes, anything that can give us the upper hand," The Master commanded. Odin simply nodded, already making a mental note to pay a visit to Junior. The cloaked man gestured to Seth to begin his report.

"Nothing worthy to report here. Ozpin sees me as a valuable asset and Salem sees me was a useful spy. Either way, both still trust me." Seth said nonchalantly, causing the others to slightly glare at him. Why do they have to give a detailed report while he doesn't?

The Master was not unamused by Seth, but he simply nodded at his underwhelming report. He sighed before speaking up.

"You all did good, continue doing so. I have new assignments for all of you. Merlot, keep up your research and experiments, I want those creatures tamed and ready for battle. Apep, be on the lookout for hosts that may pop up in Menagerie. Odin, find anything useful about the Vulpes and also keep an eye out for hosts. And Seth, don't do anything that will blow your cover. Am I understood?" He asked, his voice carrying a level of power to it. He was pleased when he received a chorused 'yes sir' but right before he could dismiss them all, Seth, curiously spoke out.

"What about you Julius? What will you be doing?" Seth said, not a care in the whole world for the murderous glare he got from the Master, also known as Julius. Julius glared at Seth for a second longer before relenting and sighing in frustration.

"The Brotherhood have been a thorn on our side for far too long. My task, Seth, is to find them and eliminate them, something that you fail to do. And Seth, I am your friend but that comes second. What comes first is that I am you leader and boss, I have shown you and everybody respect. So you'll at the very least show me a moniker of respect." And with that, Julius dismissed the meeting and they either disconnected or went there speared ways, to fulfill their objectives.

* * *

Author's Note

...Not died yet. Highschool may drag me down to a pit of despair, put I shall crawl out and deliver to the people. That is my duty! But in all seriousness, It's good to be back. This chapter has been haunting me for a while. It was just there, taunting me, sitting at around 1000 word. But then it went from 1000 words to 2000 words in one day, then 6000 in a couple of hours and then it reached 8000 words. This is by far the longest chapter I've written. But let's get that out of the way, and talk about my super late update. Well you see there is a vile and disgusting creature that sucks all the energy and creativity out of you, and that creatures name is Highschool. I've been hella busy with projects, essays, assignments, and I've recently took my quarter exams, and to top it all off, I have my semester exams right around the corner. Fun times! So yeah, I don't promise to update too soon, maybe during thanksgiving break. I apologize for the super late update. Also, SCP-7223 has been put on hiatus so that I can focus on Gods Within The Arc and Highschool more. I'm sorry for those who enjoy that story, but I won't be updating it any time sooner. Please leave a comment or some constructive criticism. I really hope you guys liked this chapter. PM if you have any suggestion or have some advice.

Beta-ed by AFatFlyingWhale. Thank you for the help man.


	9. Omake

_Gods Within The Arc_

"Speaking"

" _gods/heroes speaking"_

' _Thinking'_

Straying from the Path

Jaune collapsed his scroll and got up from the tree his was sitting against. It was a beautiful day, the day was blazing down on the world, the birds where singing their beautiful songs, and the forest that Jaune found himself seem alive and active. Jaune had been texting his sister Joan, hearing how she had survived Beacon's Initiation and how she was now partnered with Pyrrha. Being rejected from Beacon still pained the blond host. He trained hard, both by himself and with his parents and older sisters whom were Huntress. It devested him, when he received the letter from the illustrious school, saying how sorry they were. He hid it well, behind fake smiles and hollow reassurances but Joan knew better. Somehow she was able to see right through his façade. She tried to help him, to comfort him but it didn't work. His dream had been crushed for crying out loud! Jaune wanted to be a Huntsmen, a hero, since he was small. He wanted to protect the innocent, he wanted to rid the world of the creatures of Grimm, and now he had the power to do so. But now... he couldn't accomplish his dream. Maybe he could try next year, but knowing the 'luck' that his name carried, he would be rejected again. Mason Todd, captain of Bitterwood's militia and the previous general to Vale's military, extended him an offer. He would train under his wing and would be protecting Bitterwood from any threats, outside and inside. Jaune turned down the offer, shocking his family and the captain as well. Jaune wanted to make a difference, that was another reason why he wanted to become a Huntsman, its because with the power that he had, he could make a huge difference.

And staying in Bitterwood wouldn't help him do that. Sure, he would make a difference in his home town but he wanted to scale that to the whole world. And that's why Jaune finds himself in a forest, several days from his home town. If Jaune couldn't make a difference officially, then he would make one unofficially. Jaune had been wondering the roads for a couple of days now, helping out were ever he could. It was pretty stander stuff, nothing to dangerous or anything. And now Jaune was looking for his next contract, for his next opportunity to help, for his next chance to make a difference, a small difference yes, but a difference no less.

Jaune continued walking through the forest, he would've stucked to the main roads but he had more encounters in the roads in the forest then in the main ones. Today was both a good and bad day to be avoiding the main roads.

" _Gun shots to our right_." Said a voice, its tone was deadly serious, and not filled with its normal mischievous and lighthearted tone. Jaune stopped walking, and begun to pay close attention. Listening through the chirping of the birds and the howling wind. It was faint, and very quiet, meaning it was far way, but he could hear it, the noise of very rapid gun shots. Now, a normal person would have broken to a sprint but from the sound, or lack of it, the gun fire was very far way, meaning they would arrive late and would only find the aftermath. Jaune was far from normal. Jaune simply turned to his right and lifted his leg as if to take a step. Jaune took said step before disappearing in a yellow flicker, leaving nothing but dust behind.

Jaune reappeared in a another yellow flicker atop a small hill overlooking the remains of an old town. Said town was being or was used as an ambush. Jaune spotted several men on the ruin roof tops firing down upon a caravan of civilians who where being protected by volunteers but not Huntsmen. Jaune's eyes harden and were filled with determination. Jaune flickered out of existence once more, missing the symbol that the 'volunteers' wore.

* * *

 _ **Ilia's POV**_

If she would've known that the job would end like this, she would come a little more prepared. They were undermanned and out gunned, plus they had to protect the civilians from harm, making it extremely difficult to focus on the enemy on the roof tops.

Plus, it's not like she could do anything to help her comrades, since she had no range weapon that could reach them. Right now, she was taking cover behind what used to be a well, bandaging one of her comrades who had been shot in the shoulder. Thankfully the bandits that attacked them were stupid enough to only stick to their left side. Meaning they could hide behind the wagons without being flanked from behind. Several had ran inside the ruined houses with several of the civilians but sadly the rest were pinned down because of the constant gun fire. It was supposed to be a simple job. Escort the caravan from point A to point B while taking care of any obstacle in the way. They need the money badly. So, she accepted the job. Seeing as to how simple the job was, she only took about ten of her comrades. She now regrets her decision. Ilia was broken from her from her thoughts when somebody screamed.

"GRENADE!" Somebody shouted. She turned to her right and spotted the deadly explosive a couple feet away from her. She acted quickly, she grabbed her down friend and moved the hell out of there. The grenade exploded, causing Ilia and the other Faunus to be sent flying due to the explosion. The two landed in the road exposed and without cover. As the bandits leveled their weapons to finish both her and her comrade, fate decided to be kind and spare her. This came in the form of one of the bandits screaming bloody murder. Everybody stopped firing their weapons and turn their gazes to the source of the screaming. Only to find a blond guy standing behind the bandit, his hands an inch from his head, glowing a sickly purple.

"Get away from him you bastard!" Another bandits said, opening fire on the blond guy. But that proved useless, as the blond guy flicker out of existence, leaving the other bandit gripping his head and muttering to himself incoherently.

"You alright there Benny?" Asked another bandit, concern for his friend's well-being. In responds, he got a low animalistic growl, the likes only a deranged person could create. The man growl once more and turned to his comrades, revealing dark and deranged purple eyes and a foaming mouth. The mad man grabbed his rifle and begun firing at his own friends. The rest of the bandits dove for cover while shouting for their friend to stop at once.

Ilia took this opportunity to grab the injured Faunus and got both of them to cover behind one of the wagons. After getting to safety, Ilia finished patching the wounded Faunus before peeking from her spot to survey the situation. The mad man kept firing on the rest of his group shouting and growling like an animal, while the rest of the bandits were tore between killing their friend or helping him. Their resolution came in the form of the abrupt quietness. The bandits, as well as Ilia, turn to see the mad man, standing there with a blank expression. Blood begun to slowly escape his lips. Purple eyes looked down to see blades coming out of his chest. Behind him stood a woman with short brown hair and light blue eyes. The man's body fell to the ground, lifeless. The rest of the bandits look in disbelief as the woman how just killed one of her own.

"What the hell Vernal! Why did you do that?! Why could have helped him!" One bandit yelled out, his gaze falling to the lifeless body of his best friend. The newly named Vernal, snarled at the other bandits.

"Are you guys stupid or something? He was out of his mind, he would have killed you all. I simply did him a mercy." Vernal said, snarling that the rest of the bandits. Before Vernal could continue, her instincts told her to move. She jumped out of the way in time to avoid a sword that came down on her with such mighty force, that dust was kicked up due to it. Vernal landed near the rest of the ambush company. When the dust settled, it revealed the same blond guy that had messed with Benny's head. Ilia watched as he raised his weapon at the group but his eyes weren't trained on them but on the body of Benny.

"Damn, you broke him." He said. If he was faking his disappointment, he was doing it well because even she couldn't detect any sign of him lying. He lightly kicked the body, causing some to snarl and glare at him, but they didn't act on their emotions. The brunette leveled her weapon at the blond in an attempt to intimidate him.

"Who the hell are you?" She questioned him, her voice carrying a sense of dominance and superiority in it. For what it's worth the blond guy seemed surprise with her tone of voice, so much that he smirked smugly and answered her request.

"My name is Jaune Arc, short and sweet." The newly introduced Jaune said without a care in the world, almost like he thought this was some kind of game. Soon that attitude changed as Jaune's smirk turned into a predator like grin before he spoke anew. "And I am here to stop you at once." As he finished speaking, dark thunder clouds started forming seemingly out of nowhere. Ilia started at the display of power as thunder and lightning begun to shoot out of the strange clouds. As she stared, her eyes somehow met Jaune's. His ocean blue met her grey ones. And in that instant, he mouthed a message to her, it was simple, but very important.

'Run!'

"Everyone, make a run for to the forest!" She said, acting upon the opportunity given by the blond human. Taking the her injured friend, she rallied the others and they all begun making a mad dash to the forest. The bandits raised their weapons and were about to fire when the roof they were standing on was suddenly struck by stray lightning, causing many to be either sent flying, electrocuted, or simply fall into the ruin building due to the roof giving up under them. Vernal lost all composure when she saw the power that the blond guy had called forward.

' _That's impossible! This sort of power can only be harnessed by the maidens!'_ Vernal thought to herself as more of her clansmen were assaulted by the lightning from the clouds. What Vernal was seeing in front of her wasn't a semblance, this was magic. Magic that could compared to the maidens, compared to her mentor and leader of the Branwen tribe. As more of her people were attack she was forced to come to a decision.

"Retreat!" Vernal called out over the sound of raging lightning and deafening thunder. Jaune simply stared as the bandit company begun to run away like the cowards they were. Jaune's gaze fell on the direction were the caravan had run too.

* * *

 _ **Several Hours Later...**_

"Is everyone accounted for?" Ilia asked, catching her breath after running for want felt like eons. Her second in command, Alexander Reddington, a lynx Faunus, could be seen doing a head count, muttering and counting to himself before turning to her nodding his head.

"We got everyone, not one missing ma'am." Alex said before leaning against a tree, signing to himself.

"I know what you're thinking about Alex." Ilia said, knowing full well that she was about to be taught a valuable lesson by her senior. As she gazed at her people tending to the wounded, she founded it odd that she was leading them. Many of them were much older and experienced then her, but they listened to her and obeyed her commands. She still founded it odd how she ended up here. After Blake's untimely departure from the Fang, Ilia often found herself reflecting on her mission and the mission of the White Fang. It wasn't after seeing Adam's cruel acts with a front row sit did she finally realized the people around her. The White Fang no longer wanted peace, but wanted death and the total genocide and operation of Humanity. Many of who she admire in the Fang turned out to be bloodthirsty killers, but she was blinded by her own self-righteousness to even see the truth. Only after the breaking of that veil of lies did she noticed that many others realized the truth about the White Fang but were too afraid to leave or speak out. She found great admiration in people like Blake and Tukson, for having the courage to leave.

She took a page from them and even when above and beyond. She rallied those who wanted to leave the Fang in secret, promising to get them out if they cooperated. Five people, turned to ten, then twenty, then thirty. The number of her supporters grew and grew until, under the cover of the dark, she and her allies left without leaving a trace. And now, they followed her and trusted her judgement almost without question.

"Good, then I don't need to lecture you. I don't think I have the strength to do so." Alex said, breaking her out of her stupor. "Do you know what you did wrong?" He questioned her.

"I underestimated the job's difficulty. Because of that, I came unprepared which led to me messing up the mission." Ilia stated, lowing her head in shame as her body turned pink in shame and embarrassment. Alex slowly nodded his head.

"That's correct, if it weren't for that blondie, we would have suffer even more." Alex said, before a third voice joined the conversation.

"You still haven't thanked me for it." The third voice startled both Faunus. Alex drew a dagger and pointed it at the neck of the third voice. As they examined who it was, they founded Jaune standing their sheepishly looking at them with his arms up in surrender. Alex scowled and took his dagger off Jaune's neck, but didn't stow it.

"You idiot! I could have killed you!" Alex shouted, causing the rest of the camp to notice Jaune's presence and to go into alert mood. Some drew their weapons while others put themselves between Jaune and the civilians.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you!" Jaune said, weaving his hands as if to make a point. Ilia stepped around Alex and drew her whip-blade and pointed it at Jaune's neck before she spoke.

"Who are you? What do you want?" She asked, no, more like she demanded. Jaune stared at the blade being pointed at him before his face broke into a goofy smile.

"My name is Jaune Arc, and I'm your guardian angel." Jaune introduced himself with a goofy smirk. Alex snorted before noticing an oddity to his right.. As he looked at Ilia, he begun to study her face until he found something interesting.

' _No fucking way.'_ Alex thought as he saw the proof in front of him. There, on Ilia's cheeks, was a faint of a pink blush. You might be wondering why a blush would be such an oddity. Well, although Alex knew that Ilia preferred girls, that didn't mean she didn't notice guys either. Although Ilia was indeed bisexual with inclinations to girls, there were those rare occasion when guys where under her radar, but for that to happen you'd had to be hella lucky

"And as for why I'm here," Jaune smirk died and his faced turn serious as he scanned the camp site they had set up, seeing the injured civilians. "I'm here to make sure you all made it out safe."

The sincerity in his voice surprised both Ilia and Alex. Several more moments passed as the three stared down each other, until finally Ilia holstered her weapon and addressed Jaune once again.

"As much as we appreciate your concern, I kindly ask you to-"

"To stay in contact with us. We might be needing of your assistance later down the road." Ilia couldn't finish talking as Alex interrupted her. Ilia looked at him in shock and disbelieve as he took out his scroll. Jaune seemed confused for a moment before giving in. Taking his own scroll and sharing his info and number with Alex.

"Thank you for your time, and thank you for helping out with Ilia's mission. If it weren't for you, many of my comrades and the civilians wouldn't had made it out alive. I don't know who to thank you enough." Alex said as he smiled slightly. The blond, in turned, scratched the back of his neck sheepishly at the blatant praise.

"Don't worry about it, just a guy who wishes to help. If you guys need anything else, just give me a call, and I'll see what I can do. I'm happy to help." Jaune stated before bidding farewell and vanishing in a flicker of yellow.

"What the hell was that for?!" Ilia screeched as she punched Alex in the shoulder.

"Ilia, from what you told me, that guy is strong as hell. He looks like a good fella, although I can't get a good read on him, I can tell he has his heart in the right place. Although human, he seems to have no qualms with us. If we managed to enlist him into our ranks, even if it was just for a few weeks, the success rate of our missions would sky rocket, besides, we need a poster boy who is human to appeal to those who hate us." Alex explain in exactly one breath of air, causing Ilia to rear back due to all the information. Alex huffed and sucked in more air before Ilia could reply.

"Besides...we need more man power if we're going to survive out here. You saw for yourself, the Branwen bandits are getting more bold. This is the third time they've foiled one of our missions. And we also have to be ready for when we come face to face with...him." Alex said in a more quiet and serious tone. Ilia knew he was right, she knew they were on a very tough situation. The Branwen tribe was breathing down their necks, while the Valean branch of the White Fang were actively hunting them down. And she knew who Alex was referring to. She knew the man who was leading the Valean branch and the one hunting her and her group known as the Exiles, quite well. Adam Taurus, the man whom she called a mentor and who she admired, was now dead set on finding his old partner Blake and finding and killing each and every one of the Exiles. They were on thin ice, one wrong move and they would deliver themselves to deaths front door. If it wasn't the bandits or Adam, then it would be death by starvation or exposure to the elements.

"Maybe your right." Ilia admitted. They needed the money and manpower badly, so maybe hiring Jaune wasn't such a bad idea. "But we will discuss this later, first we need to salvage this mission." Ilia said with determination. Alex nodded and was happy he could convinced Ilia on his plan.

"Alright people, pack up! We are leaving!" Alex called out as he saw several of his comrades start to pack anything and everything they needed, before marching out towards their final destination. Ilia observed as she missed a figure overlooking their group from the top of a tree, hided from view. The figure was Jaune, looking to make sure the group made it out save. He would stick around a while before leaving and going on his merry way. What he didn't know was that a new set of adventures would be awaiting him with the with the Exiles.

* * *

 **Author's Note.**

 **...And that's a rap! Okay, first of I want to beg you guys to forgive me on the extremely late upload. This has to be blamed on two things; highschool and writers block. Highschool has been breathing down my neck and has been tough, and its only my first year! And writers block goes hand in hand with highschool. Whenever I get home, which is already by 6 pm, I still have to do homework and other stuff, by the time I finish, I was drained and would have little to any energy to write and like I said, I've been getting bad writers block due to lack of energy or motivation. I do have little bursts of energy here and there, seeing as how the next real chapter already has 7000 word to it, and seeing how I've been able to work on this omake. And on that topic, this omake was created to give you something to read. It's been floating up in my mind for a while, and quite frankly, I like this little au. Instead of Jaune going to Beacon, he goes out into the world to offer help, and runs into Ilia. Of course, in this au Ilia was able to snap out of her funk way earlier then in canon. This prompted to do like Blake and escape from the Fang, along with others who shared her view. And in this au, Jaune has different gods. In this one only the abilities of two are used and one talks, with their identities being unnamed. Which I will do now. The first is Dionysus, the second is Mercury, and the last is Thor. So yeah, that was the omake. I really hope you guys enjoy and hope you can be patient a little while longer for the next chapter. And one more thing; I got fanart! Hope you guys can see it, the site has been buggy and it sometimes shows it and sometimes doesn't. I really liked it and I'm happy people enjoy my story that there willing to make fanart of it. It's a nice gesture. Please leave a comment or some constructive criticism or PM if you want to Beta my work in the future. Aztec out.**


	10. Chapter 10

_Gods Within The Arc_

"Speaking"

" _gods/heroes speaking"_

' _Thinking'_

Chapter 8

First Day Lessons

* * *

 **Beta-ed By LordHellPhoenix**

* * *

When Jaune awoke in the empty white void that was his mind, and he knew immediately something was either A, wrong with him or B, the gods wanted to show him something. He was only ever here when the gods wanted to teach him how to theoretically use their powers in new ways, giving him ideas that he would later try out in the real world or to tell him that something was wrong with him. That's how he found out why the nightmares kept happening. Jaune didn't wait long before the various gods appeared in front of him. But Jaune noticed that their attention was not on him, but rather something or someone behind him. Jaune turn around, curiously as to what may have drawn the attention of the gods. Jaune turned only to be met face to face with someone new, a goddess.

The woman in front of him looked to be around her mid-forties or maybe early fifties. She was about 5'8, and had a smile that only a mother could ever make. Her skin was pale blue and her body was slim. Her hair was black as the night and was tied in a uncentered pony tail, and she had black colored eyes that held nothing but warmth and kindness. She appeared to be wearing a black skirt that had star designs, a dark blue blouse with more star designs, and elegant sandals.

" _Nut, what do you want?"_ Ra said with venom that Jaune had never seen nor heard before. The newly named Nut looked sadden, seeing that her old king still held hatred towards her after so many years.

" _Greets your majesty, it is good to see you again."_ Nut greeted her old king, harboring no ill-will or hate towards him, even after what he did to stop her from having her children, she even forgave him for keeping her apart from her beloved husband. She understood why he was mad, having been overthrown and replaced by her son still angered him.

" _And as to why I'm here is to simply speak to your host. I promise I won't harm him, I simply wish to talk to him."_ She said, prompting Ra to narrow his eyes, looking for any signs of deceit or treachery. When he found none, he simply gestured her to continue. The goddess smiled and turned her attention towards the blond host.

" _Greets young one, I am Nut; goddess of the night and of the sky. It's good to finally meet you in person."_ She said while doing a small little , being courteous, bowed back like he had done for Quetzalcoatl two years ago.

"Why have you sought me out ma'am?" Jaune asked politely and professional, using the years of manners taught to him by his family and the gods.

" _You know why I'm here. I, Nut, wish for you to be my host."_ She stated. " _I wound have come to you during your time in the forest but I didn't want to put you in harms way. All I could do was help you escape that wretched creature."_ She said, causing Jaune's and the rest of the god's eyes to widened.

" _So it was you who teleported Jaune and his partner out of the cave?"_ Loki asked, getting a nod from Nut as conformation.

" _Indeed it was I who saved Jaune."_ She said, confusing Jaune as to how she could have accomplished that.

"How did you do it?" Jaune asked, wondering what power the goddess possessed that allowed teleportation. Nut smiled brightly at the curiosity of the blond host.

" _My affinity with the night gives me control over the shadows. This shadow manipulation allowed me to place you outside the cave."_ Nut explained, causing Jaune to imagine the possibilities that this 'Shadow Traveling' had.

" _But my power doesn't come without cost,"_ She begun saying. _"If my power is overused and abused without precaution or a second thought, then ones mind will slowly start to succumb the darkness within you. The darkness will start to cloud your judgement and will put you in harm's way. You'll lose yourself and you'll go mad and insane."_ Nut warned. Jaune knew that with every new god he hosted there would be a price to pay but this sounded even worst then any of the other downside.

" _What exactly is the 'darkness within'?"_ Quetzalcoatl asked, confused as to what she was referring too.

" _It could be many things. It can be hatred, it can be the impulse to do wrong, it can be lust, it can be many things. But to put it simply, it's the deepest and darkest desires that every single mortal locks away in the confines of their subconscious. They may try to deny their existence, but they're still there, waiting to be released onto the world."_ She turned to Jaune, watching him closely as he begins to grow fearful of the risk the power of Nut held. On one hand, this power could make Jaune into a versatile opponent and almost unpredictable, but on the other hand if he were to fall to the darkness, it could not only put his life at risk but also the lives of his newly formed team. Even the gods were fearful of what may happen if Jaune accepted this power and missed used it.

" _Knowing this, do you, Jaune Arc, accept the power I grant you? Do you accept to become my host?"_ Nut asked, her voice booming in the empty void causing it to tremble a little. Jaune was unsure of what to say. For several minutes, everything remained quiet, allowing Jaune to think and consider the pros and the cons that came with such power. More minutes passed in absolute silence, before said silence was broken by Jaune sighing.

"I accept." Jaune finally spoke out. After accepting the goddess's power, wisps of black mist begun to incircle Jaune, engulfing him in absolute darkness. The wisps continued circling him, increasing in speed and in mass, causing Jaune to be blinded by the darkness. Jaune fell to his knees, his breathes were labored and deep, and if he paid close attention, he could hear voices in the darkness taunting and mocking him. What made it worsted was that the voices sounded just like his own. He cried out for help but he wasn't even sure if anything came out. He covered his ears in a futile attempt to block out the voices. And as fast as it came, it ended, leaving a terrified and tired Jaune on the floor gasping for air.

" _I warn you Jaune, my power can easily corrupt someone, only use my power when you think its necessary."_ The goddess warned once more about the dangers that came with her power. Jaune's eyes begun to grow heavier and heavier by the second, and his body became lighter and lighter. Jaune closed his eyes and allowed himself to leave the void, and to return to the real world.

* * *

Jaune's eyes shot open as he bolted up from his bed, hissing in pain in the process. Jaune grimaced when he felt a rush of dizziness overcome him. He fell back onto his bed, allowing the wave of dizziness to leave on it's own. Several minutes passed before the splitting headache went away, enabling the blond host the rise from his comfortable bed. Jaune grabbed his scroll and noted that it was 8:00 am, giving him time to take a shower and maybe get some breakfast. Speaking of showers, Jaune heard the shower in use, meaning one of his teammates was already up. On the subject of teammates, this whole teammate thing was...going to be hard to get used to, to say the least. Don't get him wrong, Jaune liked them and they seem like good and trustworthy people, and it's not like he was uncomforted by the notion of sharing the room with two girls, it was more that he was uncertain of how to telling them about his true semblance and how they would react or how well they would take it. He is willing to tell them, to tell them the truth, if they believe him then that's great, if they don't they'll just think he's crazy or joking. It's best to tell them now, then letting them find out on their own and making them feel lied too and betrayed. As Jaune thought about how to break down the news about his semblance, he heard the shower turn off and several seconds later, the door opened to reveal Nora, of all people.

"Nora? Why are you up so early?" Jaune asked, he expected Ren, similar to their encounter in Beacon's hallway, but not Nora. Nora, who had a towel wrapped around her, simply smiled brightly at the question.

"Ren and I were trained to wake up pretty early and to always be on high alert!" Nora said with a small smile, putting her hands on her hips. "But, he receive a beating yesterday, so instead of waking him up, I decided to give him extra time to rest." She said, looking over Ren's sleeping form with a sad smile. Jaune noticed a look that he'd seen in many people, especially his sisters, the look someone gave to another person when they weren't looking. The longing wished to be with that person, to spend time with them, to hold them, to love them.

"You and Ren, are you two dating?" Jaune winced when he saw Nora's smile fall

"No, we aren't together-together." She said in a sad and monotone voice. Jaune, realizing his mistake, quickly tried to defuse that situation by apologizing. "It's fine, a lot of people assume that. We've gotten used to being asked that." Nora said ending the conversation as she moved to her side of the room taking out her school uniform that came with the room. Jaune sighed and belittled himself for asking such question, had he forgotten his sister's lessons already? Sighing again, Jaune walked into the bathroom and proceeded to strip from his sleeping wear, walking into the shower and turning it on. Jaune basked in the warm water, allowing it to wash over his body and relax his muscles. But his mind was anything but calm. Jaune's thoughts went back to yesterday, he had gotten answers about the incident at the cave, but he was still in the dark when it came to what the odd aura surrounding Ozpin was.

The gods have told him that Ozpin was not a host, he was something different. His aura was something akin to magic, or maybe he was a host and he hid it well. Speaking of host, Jaune felt the faint presence of another host. He didn't know who it was, but he would have to look into it later, as well as to look into Ozpin. Jaune finished up with his shower, took a towel and head out. Jaune opened the door and found Ren already up and heading towards the bathroom door. Jaune and Ren exchanged good mornings as they passed by each other. Jaune walked over to his corner of the room and searched his dresser for his uniform. It was a simple black suits lined with gold, accompanied by a blue vest, and a white shirt with a red tie.

Jaune begun to get ready for his first day in Beacon, doing his best to ignore Apollo's and surprisingly Zeus's critique on the bland and dull uniform. As he finished getting dressed, he found himself staring at his arch-enemy, the tie.

He hated them as much as he hated bullheads. Call him childish, but those things almost chocked him once. Those things are pure evil and are out to get him.

" _Stop being a drama queen, and put it on. And wake up Pyrrha while you're at it."_ Hephaestus said with a bland tone. Jaune huffed and took the accrued think while marching towards Pyrrha's sleeping form. Jaune reached her bed and proceeded to lightly and softly shake her while whispering at her to wake up. After several attempts, Pyrrha begun to slowly wake up. As Jaune looked at his partner, he had to admit that she looked both funny and adorable. The great Pyrrha Nikos, the Champion of Mistral, the Invisible Girl, looked like absolute shit during the mornings. Her once beautiful and elegant hair was disheveled and was all over the place. Trails of drool could be found on the side of her cheek and on her chin. All in all, she looked like she got hit by a train. As Pyrrha rose from her bed, her groggily eyes scanned the room until they landed on him.

"Morning Pyrrha." Jaune said, trying his best to stiffen a chuckle that tried to escape. Pyrrha's responds came out in the form of a cute yawn. At this point Jaune couldn't contain the laughter and he allowed it to come out, even Nora who had been sadden by Jaune's conversation, begun to giggle at her friend's state. Pyrrha, for what it's worth, looked utterly confused as to why her teammates where laughing. After several more moments of hysterical laughter, something clicked inside the Amazon warrior. Pyrrha finally realized that they were laughing at her morning appearance.

She blushed up a storm and tried to hide behind her covers but the damage was already done. Nora and Jaune were on the ground laughing by the time that Ren exited the shower, fully clothed and ready for the day. This gave Pyrrha the perfect opening to escape from the laugher of her teammates. The Amazon warrior shot from her bed, took her clothes from the dresser, and ran straight for the bathroom, passing a very confused Ren as she locked the door behind her, all the while Jaune and Nora laughed. Ren blinked a couple of times, trying and failing to wrap his head around what had just transpire.

It took a couple of minutes for Jaune and Nora to settle down and to come down from the high of laughing so much. After waiting a bit more, Pyrrha came out of the bathroom looking much better then how she did earlier. Her hair was done in a ponytail that reached her waist and she was wearing her circlet too. Jaune hoped he wasn't blushing because Pyrrha looked stunning with her school uniform.

" _I've seen prettier and more stunning women then that, Hades, I lived with one."_ Apollo softly muttered within Jaune's mind, prompting Zeus and Hephaestus to silently agree. Baldur lightly smacked him over the head, it was rude to say stuff like that.

"Need any help with that Jaune?" Pyrrha asked, noticing Jaune's blood feud with his tie. Jaune looked between her and the item of his downfall and processed to do this two or three before sighing in defeat and dejectedly nodding his head. Pyrrha softly chuckled and approached Jaune to rid him of his mortal enemy. Pyrrha slipped the tie over Jaune's neck and began working her magic. In a few turns and tugs, she was finished with her handy work.

"Thank you Pyrrha." Jaune softly said, stepping away to observe himself in the mirror. It was a simple knot, but it looked rather good with Jaune. Ignoring the critic for the voices inside his head, Jaune spun on his heel and faced his team to address them.

"Alright, I think we're all set to go. Now our first class is...Professor Port's Grimm Studies." Jaune finished saying while looking at his schedule on his scroll. So far, everything was pretty standard. Grimm Studies with Professor Port's, History with a man named Oobleck, Dust Study and Aura Theory with one Meli Peach, and finally, Combat class with Glynda Goodwitch. The schedule seemed alright in his opinion. Lunch was between Grimm study and Dust study, and they all had 10 minutes to get to and from classes. The only real difference in schedules was that Jaune had Leadership Skills with Professor Ozpin. Jaune collapsed his scroll and looked up at his new team, who was awaiting orders from him. It was still weird to be the leader of three other people who were his age and where equally if not more skilled then him, but with time, he could grow used to it.

"Let's hit the road!" Jaune ordered. The four exited their living quarters and begun walking down the hallway, but Jaune stopped for two reasons. One, he heard odd noises, like tools begin used and second, he noticed Pyrrha lagging behind the group. He was about to ask her what was wrong but he was quickly shushed by her. The red-haired spartan leaned closer to the door which led into the dorm of team RWBY and listened quietly and carefully. Ren was seconds away from committing Jaune's mistake of asking what was going on but that idea quickly died as Nora grabbed his arm and forceful yanked him towards the door. Once the together-not-together duo reached the door, they followed Pyrrha's example by putting their ears on the door to listen better.

" _Fantastic! We were paired with a bunch of morons!"_ Loki exclaimed as he looked at the oddity that was team JNPR. Jaune sighed and shrugged to himself, before caving in and following in his teammates footsteps. Jaune couldn't distinguish what was going on behind the door. He could hear muffled voices saying stuff but he couldn't make out what they were saying. He could also hear things like things being banged into wood, buzzsaws, and other construction tools. Having his curiosity peeked, Jaune steady himself and gestured his team to take a step back before knocking on the door loudly. The noises came to an abrupt stop, causing a deafening silence to wash over the hall were team JNPR stood. They didn't have to wait long for a responds as a second later the head of Ruby poked out into the hallway.

"Morning Jaune! What brings you to our dorm?" Ruby said cheerfully, yet with a hint of nervousness and anxiety.

"Nothing much really, I was just checking in on you guys." Jaune replied honestly. He just wanted to make sure everything was okay with them. As Jaune and Ruby talked, the rest of team JNPR were trying to peek very subtly into the dorm room through the opening created by the red-headed leader but found that to be a fruitless effort.

"Although I did hear some odd noises coming for your dorm, what are you guys doing?" Jaune tried to step forward to get a better view of the inside but was denied by Ruby, who closed the door slightly and smiled a bit more forcefully.

"Noises? What noises? I don't hear any noises." Ruby said stiffly, her eyes darting back and forward to Jaune and to someone inside the dorm, some who was just out of view. He knew she was lying, it was plain as day, but he kind of wanted to see were this lead too. So for now, Jaune would simple play along and see where Ruby would cave in due to pressure.

"We heard odd sounds coming from within your room." Ren said stoically, yet somehow it still sounded very accusatory. Ruby began to panic even more, her eyes darted faster to the side as if receiving instructions from someone and she started to sweat bullets. To add even more pressure to the young prodigy, Pyrrha and Nora started to slowly approach the door in a menacingly way.

"I-I d-don't know what you guys are t-talking about. There are no weird noises here!" The crimsonette of team RWBY said as she began to crack under the pressure that Jaune's team was causing. Jaune kept a straight and smiling face externally but was rolling on the floor due to laugher internally.

" _Poor child, Jaune I think she has suffered enough, don't you thing?"_ The brand new goddess Nut said softly, her voice sounding that of a concerned mother. With a sigh, Jaune got ready to call of his team before a wicked idea was whispered into his mind by the god of mischief.

"I-I swear t-there isn't anything going-" The red-headed leader of team RWBY never got to come up with an excuse as her attention snapped downwards to a serpent, who had made his presence known to everyone through it's hissing. Complete silence befell the hallway as everyone was trying to figure out where the snake had came from. That silence lasted for about five seconds before being shattered like glass by Ruby.

"AHHHH!" Ruby let out a ear shattering scream before she bolted further into her dorm, allowing Jaune and the rest of his team to enter and see team RWBY's handiwork. That handiwork came in the form of bunk beds, poorly created bunk beds.

" _We're surrounded by morons."_ Loki muttered, prompting Baldur slap him over the head once more.

"Get rid of it!" Ruby shouted, now literally hanging off her sister's head as both were atop the top bunkbed, eyeing the snake warily. A scan of the room showed Weiss shaking her head in frustration and Blake eyeing the snake with less contempt and more curiosity.

"Take that thing out of here!" Yang screeched as she scooted inward atop of the bunkbed. Jaune chuckled as he nonchalantly picked up the snake and pet it like it was a common house pet. The snake seemingly melted and hissed pleasantly as Jaune continued to run his hand softly over it's scaly body. Pyrrha and Ren were somewhat indifferent of the scaly being while their energetic partner/teammate reached over to pet it as well.

"Relax you two, Jörmungandr doesn't bite, unless told to." Jaune continued to lovingly pet the Midgard Serpent before it suddenly puffed out of existence. One second it was there on Jaune's hands, the next moment it vanished in an explosion of black mist, leaving everyone surprised, say for Pyrrha who had seen a similar incident two years ago with Fenrir although she was a little shock.

"So, this what you didn't want us to see? Bunkbeds?" Pyrrha asked as she quietly observe the beds being suspended and supported by ropes and books. The sister duo jumped from their hiding place and sheepishly scratched their heads. Right before they could speak, Blake spoke up as she adjusted her uniform.

"It was meant to serve as a way to free up more space in the room to have more mobility for our stuff and decorations, besides, we were going to show you guys later after classes as a surprise." Blake said as stoically as Ren, if not more. Team JNPR nodded in agreement to Blake's reasoning but one question still lingered in the air.

"Why didn't you girls just... ask for bunkbeds? If you explained and proved your reasoning, I doubt the teachers or Headmaster Ozpin would mind giving you bunkbeds." The blond host asked, bringing attention to the flawed planning. And all of the sudden, everything apart from team JNPR, seemed more interesting and/or important to team RWBY. Weiss was focused on her nails, Blake was staring at the floor and drawing invisible patterns on it, and the sister duo were chuckling nervously as they looked at each other.

"You didn't think of that, did you?" Ren accused as the silence and how each girl avoided direct eye contact with any of them was prove enough to show that he was indeed correct.

"It doesn't matter now, what is done, is done. Just make sure to secure those things tightly, I wouldn't want one of you girls to be turn into a pancake." Jaune said as he pointed at the beds, still not trusting the ropes and books that held them together.

"Relax Jauney, we'll make sure to have extra careful." Yang reassured with a wide and toothy grin which was mirrored by her crimsonette sister. Jaune and the gods felt less reassured by this but there was nothing they could do so they just accepted and went along with it.

"Anyway, we should head over to our first class, it starts at 9:00 and-"

"Did you just say nine o'clock!?" Jaune was interrupted by the resident Ice Queen's screeched. Jaune slowly nodded in responds, fearing that any sudden or harsh movements would cause Weiss to lash out violently. "We have five minutes to get there!" Weiss said as she bolted through the door, with no care if she shoved anyone out of the way or not. The others soon followed her example as they exited the dorm and booked it as fast as they could to class, some faster then others, primarily Ruby and Jaune due to their semblances.

* * *

As soon as the colorful merry-band of Huntsmen reached their first class, which they were several minutes late too, they took there sits close to each other. Team JNPR took their sits on an empty row while their apparent sister team took the one below them. To say Jaune was exited for his first class was a big understatement. Jaune was overzealous about it and so were the gods inside his head. The gods were always interested and exited to learn about what the world of Remnant had to offer, and some of that excitement seemingly influenced and fed into Jaune too. Sadly that excitement quickly crash down and died like Icarus, as the Professor begun to talk.

"Monsters! Demons! Abominations and freaks of mother nature! Indeed, the creatures of Grimm have many names but I like to call them prey!" The portly and veteran Huntsman known as Peter Port rambled in a vain effort to lighten up the spirit in his classroom.

" _I am not listening to this old fool for an hour! Quick Apollo, give me an honorable death!"_ Quetzalcoatl said in deep despair as he point to his exposed chest, begging the Greek god to end his misery.

" _Quiet! You could learn something useful for this man."_ Ra said as he defended the veteran Huntsman, and also because he hated when the youth didn't pay attention and learn from their elders.

Outside in the real world, Jaune was having trouble paying attention or taking notes. This was supposed to be a class where they studied the biology and physiology of the Grimm. To learn what to use to combat certain species of Grimm and what to expect in terms of attacks and hunting patterns. So what the hell was Jaune supposed to learn from the boosting of his teacher! Professor Port was now rambling about how he once killed three Ursai Major with a simple tree branch. Did Jaune want to call Port out on his bullshit? Yes, very much so. Was he the only one that wanted to do it? No, there were others that felt like their time was being wasted by Port's stories. Jaune put his pencil down and proceeded to take a look to see how his friends were fairing off. His partner was setting and somehow also failing to be the exemplary student by taking notes that, upon further expectation, were random and out of place. Further down team JNPR's row was Nora, who had completely given up on the class and was now in her own little dreamland. At the end of the row was Ren, who at first glance look like he was looking at his notes like a good student but like Pyrrha, if someone were to look closely they would find that Ren had completely mastered the secret technique of sleeping with your eyes open. A truly disturbing sight, yet quite clever too.

A glance below showed that Jaune's sister team wasn't doing good either. Blake had too given up on the class but instead of napping like Ren or Nora, she was doing something productive by secretly reading a book called Ninjas of Love.

Her blond partner was on her scroll either texting someone or playing some sort of game, Jaune couldn't tell for sure. Weiss had wholly devoted her attention to the professor's stories and was taking notes, while Ruby was doodling and drawing crude drawings of Port, which unsurprising made Loki and Apollo giggle like middle-schoolers.

"And as I had the third Ursa in a headlock, I shoved the branch through its eye socket, effectively killing it. But now, let me tell you a story of how I killed a Goliath with my bare hands!" Port announced pridefully, either not noticing or completely ignoring the groans of despair from the student body. A vain popped on Jaune's head and he was ten seconds away from turning into Ares but was stopped by Zeus's passive voice.

" _Jaune, hold on a second. Pay very close attention to his words. Don't think of it as boosting, think of it as a simple tale."_ Jaune sigh in frustration but did what Zeus told him to do. Jaune sat there, listening to Port's story, still finding no meaning but Zeus told him to press on and continue listening. As Jaune listened to how Port ran around the Goliath to wear it out and to disorient it and how the Goliath was having a hard time keeping up, Jaune caught something. It was a very small detail about the battling ram of the creatures of Grimm. They were incredible siege weapons against walls and heavy resistance, but were horrible at keeping up with tiny targets, like a Huntsmen running around it. And just like that, it clicked in Jaune's blond head. Whether he had gone insane by hearing to Port's rambling, or he had finally understood Port's odd and unorthodox form of teaching. Whether the stories were real or not, they all had valuable details that one can miss. And it seemed like Jaune was late to this party of revelations as others were already focusing on Port's words as to not miss out on any details. What Jaune failed to understand was why he would teach like this. Yes, it kept the students on their feet to pay close attention but what of the ones that didn't pay attention? The information taught by Port was meant to prepare future Huntsmen and Huntresses to face off against the creatures of Grimm and to avoid causalities. What if a unexperienced Huntsman went up against a Grimm they didn't know how to properly fight? Maybe there was something Jaune was still missing, maybe he needed to pay more attention, something Jaune noticed his fellow crimsonette leader wasn't doing.

Jaune noticed Ruby drawing more pictures of Port, this time of him as a pig and she had even given him a new title; Professor Poop. As immature as it was, Jaune and some of the gods, primarily Loki, Apollo, and Quetzalcoatl, got a hearty chuckle for it, something that was not appreciated by Weiss. As Ruby delved further into her antics, Weiss grew angrier and angrier as the seconds ticked by.

"A real Huntsmen must be honorable! A real Huntsmen must be dependable! A real Huntsmen must be strategical, they must be extraordinary-educated, and they must be wise! So...who among you thinks themselves capable of embodying this traits!" Thankfully, Port's rambling drew her attention enough for her anger levels to return to normal.

"I do sir!" Weiss shouted as her hand shot up faster then Hermes.

"Excellent Miss Schnee! Anyone else, don't be shy." Port said challenging anyone else to raise their hand. Seeing no one else took the challenged disappointed the portly professor. "Alrighty then, Miss Schnee, please head to the lockers and please hurry. Your opponent is waiting." Port said as he gestured to a cage behind him that was violently shaking nonstop. Eerily enough, faint giggling and cackling could be heard from within the cage.

' _Where did he hide that!?'_ Jaune thought as he tried to comprehend how such a big and loud cage could be missed by anyone. Even the gods were baffled for crying out loud! As Weiss left for the lockers to retrieve her weapon and combat outfit, half of the class was being hit by a massive wave of headaches, which was cause by the mind-fuckery that Port just pulled.

Weiss returned several minutes later, wearing her combat shirt and brandishing her weapon Myrtenaster. She took a step forward and faced the cage that housed her opponent. The portly professor retrieved his Blunderbuss and approached the cage nonchalantly.

"Are you ready Miss Schnee?!" Port boomed as he readied and leveled his weapon against the lock of the cage. Jaune watched as Weiss fell into a combat stand and nodded towards the professor.

"Go Weiss! Kick some Grimm ass!" Yang shouted as she shook some pom-poms that matched Weiss's color scheme, drawing the attention of many people, confusing most.

"Fight well!" Blake said as she weaved a tiny flag with team RWBY on it. At this point, Jaune decided not to ask where they had gotten those and just allowed the madness to carry unbothered. It was far too early for this kind of shenanigans.

"Go Weiss! Make a name for team RWBY!" Ruby said as she shouted her encouragement but was meant with a hated glare from the Heiress.

"Ruby, I'm trying to concentrate here!" Weiss said through gritted teeth, causing Ruby to shrink back into her chair while muttering 'sorry'. This outburst caused Jaune to grow confused. Why was Ruby, who was Weiss's leader, the only one to receive such harsh treatment. Before Jaune could continue thinking about it, Professor Port spoke up, seemingly ignoring the tension that was slowly brewing.

"Very well then! Let this match, begin!" The portly man boomed as he slashed the lock keeping the cage locked, quickly backed away to a safe distance after doing so. The heavy metal door fell to the floor with a 'thud' and revealed the two red glowing eyes inside. The inside was somehow dark, obscuring any visibility to the inside and only allowing the red eyes of the Grimm creature to be seen. It was dead quiet, only the breathing of the students could be heard, that was before a haunting cackle rang out from the cage and spread through the entire room, causing many to shiver in slight fear. The cackle grew louder and louder, before it abruptly died as the Grimm inside the cage lunged for Weiss's jugular. Weiss ungracefully dodged the attack, allowing her and many others in the class to take a close look at the Grimm.

The Grimm was slightly smaller than a Beowolf and resembled a hyena. Jaune observed the Cackler, the named given to this species of Grimm due to their trademark giggling and cackling. The Cackler had the same jet-black fur that every other Grimm had and as Jaune looked at its body, the only words that came to his mind to describe it was emaciated and withered.

The Cackler had skeletal legs that looked like they would snapped like twigs if a simple breeze past it. And its torso was so malnourished and emaciated that its ribs were practically poking out and were almost forming the bone protrusions that were scattered all over its ghastly body. Bone-like-spikes protruded from its back, legs, with several patches to serve as the spots found on the hyena, and the bone-like-mask that protected its face. Its nails were five inches long and the creepiest feature that the Cackler had was that its razor sharp teeth formed a haunting grin when closed.

"Weren't expecting this, were you?" Port mocks as he wiggles his mighty mustache. The Cackler let loose another cackle before rushing Weiss anew, this time aiming for her legs. This time Weiss was ready for it, easily side-stepping the attack and swinging her weapon at the hyena-like-Grimm's side, launching it to the side. The Cackler slowly got up, brushing the attack like it wasn't anything, and cackling once more, this time in a weaker and more tired tone. Weiss rushed forward to finally end the match, her rapier aimed for the Cackler's face. The Cackler stood there, grinning with it's razor sharp teeth, seemingly uncaring of the fate that awaited it. Just as Myrtenaster was about to meet its target, the Cackler lashed out and met the length of the rapier with its mouth, biting down on it and holding it tightly it is maw.

"Let go, you filthy mutt!" Weiss shouted as she tried to pull her weapon from the hyena's mouth. The Cackler then begun to violently shake its head, causing Weiss's grip to start to loosen. With one final shake of it head made the Heiress's grip to falter, allowing the Cackler to remove Myrtenaster from Weiss's hand and toss it to the side.

"Oho! Let us see what you do without a weapon." The portly professor said as the hyena began laughing again, this time sounding like it was taunting Weiss. Weiss eyed her weapon but every time she tried to make a run for it, the hyena-like-Grimm would step in front of her and would scare her off by mockingly biting into the air. The Cackler lunged once more for Weiss's neck but was easily avoid by a mere side-step, finally creating an opening for Weiss to make a mad dash for her weapon. Weiss gained extra time as the Cackler stunned itself by hitting its head on a desk.

"Weiss! Go for its legs! There the weake-"

"Stop telling me what to do!" Weiss shouted as she cut Ruby off mid-advice. Ruby shrink further into her sit, looking hurt by Weiss's reply. Weiss reached her weapon and immediately fell into a stance. The Cackler shock its head and regained its murders rage as it turn towards Weiss before charging for one final time. Weiss, either consciously or subconsciously, listened to Ruby's advised and went for the Grimm's legs by stabbing her weapon into the ground and creating a glyph that froze the Cackler's legs in place. The Cackler looked down and immediately attempted to free itself, failing to notice Weiss making another glyph under her feet. The glyph shone brightly under the Heiress's feet, before she was sent forward like a speeding bullet, her weapon Myrtenaster leveled to the hyena's head. The Cackler didn't even have proper time to react to what had happened before it's crimson red eyes dulling out and darkening as its body, signifying its timely death.

"Bravo! A truly excellent and most magnificent match indeed! We truly are in the presence of a true Huntress!" Port began saying before turning to address the class. "Sadly, I think this is all the time we for today. Do make sure to read, study, and be vigilant and on your guard, as you might be the next one up here. You are all dismissed!" Port concluded as the class begun to fill out of the class. Jaune started to pack his stuff before catching Weiss stomping out the class with Ruby following close of her trail through his peripheral view.

' _Maybe I should check on them. Make sure their alright.'_ Jaune's thinking was not shared by many of the gods, them wishing for him to worry about him and his own team, but alas, Jaune had the final say in things.

"You guys head on over to our next class. I'm going to check up on Ruby." Jaune said as his team nodded and told him they'd be saving a seat for him. Jaune grabbed his stuff and exited the class to find where Weiss and Ruby had went to.

* * *

Jaune didn't wondered the halls for long as he heard what sounded like shouting around the corner.

"You've done nothing! Nothing to earn your position of leadership. Back in the Emerald Forest, you acted like a child and almost got yourself killed for it, and you still act like one now!" Weiss shouted. Peeking around the corner allowed Jaune to discover that it was the crimsonette leader of team RWBY who was at the other end of the shouting.

"Where is this coming from Weiss? Didn't we agree that we'd be working together? You know, like an actual team?" Ruby spoke, her voice trembling. The words spoken by Weiss stung hard, even Jaune felt his heart grow heavier at Weiss's words, but it grow heavier once he heard Ruby's sadden tone.

"We can work together, but as a team led by you? I've studied and went through rigorous training. I deserve a better leader." Weiss said coldly. Jaune watched around the corner as she turned away to leave, prompting Ruby to raise her hand, in an attempt to maybe salvage the situation.

"Ozpin made a mistake in making you leader..." All hopes of mending the situation and their relationship shattered like glass as Weiss spoke before turning away and walking off, leaving Ruby with her arm raised, her body was trembling and shivering. She dropped to her knees and put her back against the wall. Jaune came from around the corner and saw Ruby silently sobbing on the floor. He quietly and wordlessly walked over to her and sat beside her, and enveloping her in a much needed hug. Ruby, in turn, didn't react, maybe already noticing Jaune's presence. Jaune and Ruby stayed like that for several minutes, saying nothing nor moving at all, say for Ruby's sobbing. Even the gods remained silent.

"W-was she right? D-did Ozpin m-make a mistake." The silence was broken by Ruby's shaky and broken voice, causing the strings and weight on Jaune's heart to tighten. He closed his eyes to contemplate on his answer, if he wasn't careful with what he said, it could inadvertently cause Ruby to feel even worse.

"Is a leader born Ruby?" Jaune asked in a much more wiser tone of voice, sounding like an old sage, using a little bit of the gods knowledge, especially does that are gods of wisdom, and his own mind. Ruby lifted her head to reveal her face stained with tears. She seemed confused at the questions but answered with a shake of her head.

"Then you would be correct. A leader is never born and ready to make decisions. This even applies to us Arc. People always say that all Arcs are natural born leaders but I don't really believe that crap. A leader is made. You could say their craft after years and years of experience. A good leader is one who leads his people and takes care of them, respecting them and ensuring that they respect themselves and each other as well as him too. A true leader however, is one who puts his team's needs before his own. One who listens to his people and acts upon their needs and one who can rely and lead with their own followers at their side. Besides, it's been literally one day since you became leader, give it time. In this upcoming months and years, good leaders will be separated from the bad ones. And I bet you'll be one of the good ones." At this point Ruby's tears had dried up and had stopped flowing down, her attention solely Jaune. At Jaune's finally statement, she remembered Weiss's words.

"How can you be so sure? What if I end up being a bad lea-"

"Stop thinking like that, if you do, you'll end up dragging yourself down." Jaune cut Ruby off mid-sentence, causing her to snap her attention back to him. "You've proven that your earned your badge as leader. You did so in the Emerald Forest! You were able to bring together your sister and two complete strangers in order to bring down the Nevermore. And need I remind you that it was you who came up with the plan to take it down." Jaune said, recounting the battle with the Nevermore.

"A-are you sure I can be a good leader?" Ruby asked, her hopes beginning to blossom like a rose once more.

"I believe you'll be one of the greatest leaders molded by Beacon. But that's not up to me, it's up to you to become a good leader. You have my support, but you are the only one that can be decide. But like I've said, I believe with your skills as a Huntress, you'll make a fine leader. Prove to Weiss that you can be a great leader. And if you ever get caught up, come to me, we are in the same position after all." Jaune said with a warm smile. Ruby wiped and cleaned the tears on her face and smiled back to Jaune with a faint hint of a blush on her face, before she enveloped him a tight hug.

"Thanks Jaune, I...really needed to hear something like that." The crimsonette said, standing up from her place. "I-I think I'm going to follow your advice. I'm going to prove Weiss wrong. I'm going to work long and hard! And when we graduate, you and I will be the best team leaders ever!" Ruby exclaimed, causing Jaune to chuckled as Ruby struck an over the top pose.

"Alright, you do that, I have to go and do something else." Jaune stood up and the duo hugged once more before bidding their goodbyes. Jaune walked off and began to look for a certain white haired heiress, as he walked away, he was informed by Nut that Ozpin had been listening on their conversation the entire time.

* * *

Weiss stared at the sky as she sat in a balcony atop Beacon. It was peaceful up there, the wind was blowing gently and was creating a nice and cool environment, this tranquility allowed Weiss to reflect over the words of Professor Port.

"There you are. I've been looking all over for you." A voice called out, causing the Heiress to turn around and be met with the blond host.

"What do you want?" Weiss asked with slight irritation dripping from her voice. She wanted peace and silence to be able to think and reflect over the words spoken by Port, and here comes Jaune and ruins it.

"I want to talk." Jaune said simply and vaguely, leaving Weiss to wonder what he wanted to talk about. When Jaune saw that he wasn't being shooed away by Weiss, he approached and proceeded to take a sit right next to Weiss.

"To talk about what exactly?" Weiss arched an eyebrow as she questioned Jaune.

"Oh nothing much, just about a certain discussion you had with certain friend of mine." Jaune said with a undecipherable and neutral tone of voice, sounding much like her older sister when she was angry. Although he was being extremely vague, Weiss knew exactly what he was referring to.

"You were eavesdropping!" Weiss accused, as she looked at Jaune with shock and disbelief.

"Would you consider it eavesdropping if you're yelling and shouting? I could hear you guys way before I actually found and began hearing your little debut." Jaune replies with a more laid back and softer tone this time around, dulling chuckling as he replied. This made Weiss quiet down as she was embarrassed to have lost her cool in such a place as a hallway were anyone could see and hear her, that wasn't the Schnee way, she had to keep her cool.

"Why did you come here in the first place? What did you want to talk about?" Weiss asked, growing more irritated by Jaune's avoidance of the topic.

"I'm just here to ask you something. Why don't you give Ruby a chance to be a leader?" Jaune asked as he looked at Weiss, hoping for an answer. Weiss remained silent for a while, gazing into the ever-so calm Valean sky.

"Is it truly wise to have a fifteen year old as leader?" Weiss begun saying, still looking at the clear and calm blue sky. "Do you think that when the time comes and Ruby needs to make a life or death decision, do you think she'll be able to handle that? Ruby is a child that hasn't the faintness idea of how to lead and how to make decisions that will affect both the team and the mission. I'm not being harsh because I hate her, but because I believe she isn't adequate for the role she has been given." Weiss finished speaking, but before she had the time to catch, Jaune spoke up.

"That's bullshit and you know it." Jaune said crudely, causing Weiss's head to snap in his direction and for her eyes to widen to epic proportions. But before she could reply, Jaune continued speaking. "Yes, Ruby is a child but she was able to craft a plan that managed to take down the Nevermore back during the Initiation. She maybe be young, but she is here, at Beacon. That should be a staple of her abilities and skills. Ruby may not be a good leader right now, but everything is subject to change in the future. What I'm getting at is that you have to give Ruby a chance, no matter how small of a chance it is." Jaune concluded, hoping that his words would be able to reach Weiss and not fall at deaf's door.

"For someone from another team who has no right to meddle on our team's affairs, you seem hellbent on mending our situation." Weiss said, finding some humor in the situation. In her eyes, this whole ordeal was her and Ruby's, no one else's, but her comes Jaune out of nowhere like a prince in shining armor to try and help.

"I'm just a very considerate guy, you know? I like helping friends who are having problems." Jaune said with his trademark smirk, the gods within his mind smiled proudly at Jaune.

"We're friends? Since when?" Weiss asked, one eyebrow raised as if to challenge Jaune. And oh-so-gladly did Jaune take it.

"Since the day we met in those lockers. We're friends now, like it or not, you got to deal with me now!" Jaune said with a loud and obnoxious voice, like a kid who wasn't allowed to get candy from the store. Even if it was obnoxious and extremely unpleasant, Weiss found herself giggling at Jaune's antics. As Weiss's and Jaune's chuckling and giggling died down, the two fell into a comfortable silence.

"Fine, I'll follow you're advice. I'll try to be considerate of Ruby and I'll give her a chance, but before that, answer me this, why are you trying to help?" Weiss asked as she looked at Jaune with a serious expression. Ocean blue met light blue, and before long, Jaune smiled brightly.

"Because I believe that Ruby and the entirety of team RWBY have the potential to become great Huntresses but that can only happen if you guys work together. If you can't be leader then help Ruby when she does falls. Like I told Ruby before, a true leader leads with his people's need before his owns and who can listens to their advice when he falls. When Ruby falls, be there for her and help each other, your team needs one another." Jaune finishes talking and smiles once more before bidding farewell and leaving Weiss all alone on the balcony.

Weiss looked at the tranquil and almost unmoving sky and closed her eyes before sighing, knowing that she had many things to think and rethink about, both what Port and Jaune told her.

* * *

 **Author's Notes**

 **By the Lord, that took too fucking long to finish. First thing has to be the apology, I'm sorry for the super late update. I've been busy with school projects and with finals week, which now means I'm in my Summer Break! So now I can focus on writing and continuing GWTA. So yeah, I'll be updating hopefully sooner and with more chapters. So, do bear with me. And if you haven't noticed, I got some little fanart which is now my cover, which I love. Also, I made a small little change in the Omake, but apart from this, I thank Phoenix in helping me with this chapter's Beta. Anyway, please leave a comment or some constructive criticism or PM me if you to Beta my work in the near future. Aztec out**

* * *

 **List of Jaune's Gods, their powers, and drawbacks**

 **Zeus:** Powers are the ability to generate electricity and to call down lightning and lightning storms. Can also allow Jaune to sour through the skies with his ability of flight. Drawbacks are that overuse of lightning control will drain the Jaune's stamina and energy. It can also cause the Jaune to twitch uncontrollable causing to lose focus or making it impossible to aim or move easily, it can also cause spasms that can turn painful or constricting.

 **Apollo:** Powers are that it allows to form constructs made of light. As of now, the Jaune can only construct a bow and arrow, which can be coat with a sickness to be turned into a Plague Arrow, apart from this, the Jaune has gained excellent talent with musical instruments, art and writing. Jaune has oracle like powers but is unable to use them as of yet. He also has sun control powers thanks to Apollo but prefers to use Ra for that. The drawbacks aren't many, the only one is that if Jaune were to use the Plague Arrows far to often, he'd fall victim to a awful fever or in more extreme cases, a random disease.

 **Ra:** Powers are the ability to control and harness the power of the star that Remnant orbits around. Moves and techniques include Sun Beam; a destructive beam comprised of pure solar power, similar to a solar flare. Mini Sun; three miniature suns that were made by harnessing the power of the sun that have the destructive power of a hand grenade. Drawbacks include pain sunburns, the inability to endure the sun's heat that could cause fatigue and hallucinations.

 **Baldur:** Power is the blessing/curse, depending how you look at it, that enables him to become immortal against any and all weapons, attacks, and another hazards, giving Jaune invulnerability, immortality, and inhuman strength. Drawbacks are that if Jaune overuses Baldur's power, he will start to lose feelings on his limbs and body as they slowly go numb and are unable to be moved, rendering him immobile. Jaune also inherited Baldur's vulnerability to mistletoe.

 **Hephaestus:** Powers are the generation of fire and control of flames as long as those flames aren't made or generated by other Hosts or a Semblance. The Host also has control over the temperature of the fire. Unbeknownst to Jaune; Sully, the man who gifted him an ore that held fire properties, was indeed a Host but since the ore that had made his sword wasn't a part of him or a flame generated by him but simply an ore with fire properties, Jaune is able to control it. Drawbacks are that if Jaune overexerts himself, he'll suffer either first, second, or third degree burns, depending on how long he overuses the fire. Similar to Ra, if Jaune isn't careful, the heat will become intolerable and will cause massive fatigue.

 **Loki:** Powers include, being able to summon Fenrir and Jörmungandr, children of Loki who don't count as gods but as a weird and odd extension of their father. Jaune also has the potential to cast and detect illusions, but is incapable to do so due to lacking practice. Drawbacks are that if he were to use the illusion power without practice, it would cause Jaune to start to hallucinate which could lead to putting himself or others in danger. Jörmungandr and Fenrir have no drawbacks as they are loyal to their father Loki.

 **Quetzalcoatl** **:** Powers include the ability to control and wield the wind as a weapon, allowing Jaune to either become as light as a feather or to either blow his enemies away with moves and techniques crafted and created by Jaune and the other gods. Jaune also gained great wisdom due to Quetzalcoatl. The drawback of using Quetzalcoatl's power will lead to fatigue and Jaune's stamina to be drained, as well as him experiencing a lack of oxygen which can lead to him becoming nauseous or having the chance to blackout completely.

 **Nut:** Powers include the manipulation and control of darkness and shadows. As seen during the Initiation, The goddess Nut rescued Jaune and Pyrrha when they were being chased by an Elder Deathstalker, by using the shadows to teleport Jaune and Pyrrha outside the cave. The drawbacks is if Jaune uses this newly acquired power, his mind will be clouded by the dark desires within humans and can lead to Jaune going mad and insane.


	11. Chapter 11

_Gods Within The Arc_

"Speaking"

" _gods/heroes speaking"_

' _Thinking'_

 _Scroll Message_

[ **Beta-ed by LordHellPhoenix** ]

Chapter 9

Twisting The Truth

 _Jaune stood all by himself atop a hill, overlooking a small riverbank, his undivided attention was solely on his approaching foe. Jaune's body trembled uncontrollable in an odd rhythmic way, the fear and existential dread made his knees wobble, almost making them collapse underneath him. Jaune glanced down at his hands, noting that lightning was being emitted from them, allowing Jaune to infer that this might be one of Zeus's memories. Jaune's attention remained unfocused for mere moments, allowing him to escape the reality of the hellish situation that he founded himself in, that was until an ungodly roar snapped his attention back to his foe. Jaune stared at the mountain that approached him, feeling his breath to quicken in absolute dread of the beast. The creature was unlike any the gods spoke of. It was grotesque and downright hideous, with it being as tall as a mountain that could reach the stars themselves with ease, while his hands that numbered a hundred for both his left and right, could expand and reach eastward and westward without problem. The beast's head was that of man with horns protruding out of it and its hair was comprised of serpents and vipers flowing and cascading down to it's waist like some form of amalgamation of a waterfall. The creatures eyes were an everlasting infernal of raging flames and smoke that could seemingly glare holes into anything the beast looked at._

 _From the waist up, the abdominal beast was human, but from the waist down its body was comprised of a plethora of coiling snakes and vipers that all hissed in Jaune's direction, causing the blond host to take a step back and to swallow the lump that had formed in his throat. As the abomination of all nature continued on its rampaging approach for Jaune, bat-like wings expanded and came forward from its back. With one final slither of its coiled snakes, it stood above Jaune with a horrifying and dread inducing aura._

 _Jaune stared at the creature, the one that they called the father of all monster, Typhon, with fear and dread crawling all over him as the fire-filled eyes glared at him with hatred and_ _rage. Jaune's heart pounded hard within his chest that he could hear it throbbing in his ears, drowning any noise from the outside world, apart from his heavy breathing._

 _Jaune wanted to run, to bolt the other way and just run for dear life but he couldn't as he was so paralyzed with fear that his legs wouldn't budge. Typhon raised its hands and brought them down to crush and completely destroy the puny creature that stood below him. Just as the hands were about to close in on him, Jaune shut his eyes and awaited his fate._

* * *

"...aune... Jaune! Wake up!" Jaune's eyes shot open at the sound of his friend's voice and constant shaking to wake him up from his vivid nightmares. As Jaune steadied his breathing, he noticed the titular colorless effect that Ren's semblance had. The stoic boy's power ran its course as it immediately removed the fear, shakiness, and dread he had experienced while face to face with Typhon. As the effects from Ren's semblance faded, Jaune sat up on the side of his bed, sighing as he wiped the sweat that had formed.

"What was it about this time?" Jaune turned his head to be met with magenta eyes filled with worry and concern.

"Just... remembering some horrible encounters that I've had with the Grimm. It wasn't connected to my semblance this time."

"Do you wish to speak about it?" The stoic boy asked as he sat beside his blond comrade. Truth be told, Jaune didn't want to speak about his nightmares, it's not like anyone would ever believe his claims. Most likely thing to happen is that no one would believe him or worst they would toss him in a mental institution, but a small part of him did want to tell someone, to tell someone and vent out his stress and frustration that the nightmares brought upon him. It would be nice to have someone to lean on for a semblance of support. After a long uncomfortable silence between the two male members of team JNPR, Jaune spoke out.

"Ren, have you ever seen a... creature so horrendous and terrifying that no matter what you do, you just can't shake its ghastly image from your mind? It's in your dreams, in your nightmares, you can see it in your peripherals, even though when you turn, there isn't anything there." Jaune asked, still not wanting to speak about his own experiences, but to hear Ren's. He remembered Ren saying how he had nightmares before, and he wanted to know and gain some insight about his stoic friend. As Jaune spoke, Ren's face turned from one of concern to one of bitter remembrance.

"I have and so has Nora, back when our village was attacked and subsequently destroyed." The normally quiet and neutral boy spoke with a dishearten and sadden voice. Ren closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm himself before beginning to speak again.

"My village fell under attack by a Grimm known as a Nuckelavee when I was very young, destroying everything in its path, as standard Grimm nature. As far as my knowledge goes and after some digging around, I believe that Nora and I might be the only ones that escaped with our lives." Ren said the last part while he looked at the sleeping form of his energetic orange haired partner.

"After we escaped Kuroyuri, we were picked up by a small caravan and there we met our teacher. He took us in and raised us as his own, giving us our needs and training both of us to become Huntsmen. And he was the one that helped Nora and I finally get over the horrible nightmares we had about that beast; I owe my teacher a great deal." Ren concluded speaking, allowing the blond host to digest the information that had been given to him. He cursed himself for bringing up the tragic past that haunted Ren, and felt a pit begin to grow in his stomach as he felt guilty for bring up that painful past and for the lies that he was about to say.

"Something similar happened to me." Jaune begun to say as Ren returned his undivided attention to his leader. "When I was pretty young, my town was attacked by an unknown Grimm. It wasn't a horde or a new species that had never been documented, it was just one Grimm. A singular Grimm that was able to cause so much death and destruction, no matter what our local militia or resident Huntsmen did, it wouldn't put a dent in it. I remember seeing it, a brief glance but I could never forget it. Perhaps it was my infant mind imagining and blowing the Grimm's appearance out of proportions but... I could've sworn that it was as big as a fucking mountain."

"What happened? How did the Huntsmen and militia kill it?" Ren inquired, having small flashbacks to that faithful night in Kuroyuri as Jaune's experience was much like his own. Ren got his answer as his leader shook his head and spoke up once more.

"Neither the militia nor the Huntsmen killed it. They simple stalled for enough time until reinforcements arrive. They must have spent hours luring and distracting the beast at the outskirts of the town, and we the townspeople were lucky that no more Grimm came because it wouldn't have ended well. Finally, the reinforcement arrive and it just one man and nothing else. I remember watching through a small window as the man singlehandedly defeated the Grimm, but no matter how many times I told myself that it was dead, the appearance of that Grimm will always haunt me, although it isn't as bad as it used to be. "

Jaune finished speaking, having just lied yet told the truth to his stoic friend. There was no unknown Grimm that attacked the town of Bitterwood, there was an attack, but that was the one where he was first approached by the gods. The tale that he had told Ren was a slight twist to the tale of Typhon, having replaced the rulership for the cosmos for the survival of the quiet town of Bitterwood, Typhon replaced by a creature of Grimm, and Zeus being told as a legendary Huntsmen that came in and rescued the people of the town. Jaune had twisted the truth to fit the logic of Remnant, for now he would keep that logic intact and would keep up with the secrecy until it was the right time

"It's good to know that it isn't a recurring nightmare anymore, and I'm glad you trusted me enough to tell me about it. If you ever need any help dealing with anymore nightmares, be it of your past or related to your semblance, let me know, we're teammates after all. We should strive to help each other." Ren said as he put his hand on Jaune's shoulder as a sign of camaraderie and friendship. Jaune smiled bitterly, the pit in his stomach growing as he heard Ren's words.

"Now if you excuse me, I have to go make Nora breakfast." Ren said as he got up from Jaune's bed. Due to Jaune's mind being solely on his nightmare, he had failed to see that Ren had been already in his uniform and ready for the day.

"Wouldn't it be easier if we just head to the cafeteria and grab some food there?" The blond leader asked as he jumped out of bed and proceeded to grab his clothes from his wardrobe.

"It would, but Nora didn't have pancakes all day yesterday, seeing as how we missed breakfast due to rushing to get to class and how the cafeteria didn't serve pancakes in the afternoon. Which I'll have to talk to them if they wish to keep Nora appeased and not invoke her wrath, I was lucky to be able to keep her calm with the promise that I would personally make her pancakes." Ren said the last bit in a low and hushed whisper, but it was still audible enough for Jaune to hear it.

"Are the chefs really gonna allow you to use the cafeteria for yourself?"

"I don't need the entire cafeteria, and besides I don't have to use it. We can just use the community room, I checked it out yesterday afternoon. It should be able to accommodate all of us, even team RWBY if you wish to invite them." Ren said as he poked the Amazonian princess in the forehead to wake her up from her slumber.

"Well, if you're going to make breakfast, allow me to help out a bit. Just let me shower and get dressed, then we'll begin cooking!" Jaune smiled brightly as he saw Ren poke Pyrrha once more in the forehead, this time spurring the warrior from her sleep. The stoic ninja nodded at his leaders request and left the room, presumably to the community room to get set up. Jaune quickly entered the bathroom and closed the door behind him, sighing as he undressed and got into the shower, letting the water hit his bare back.

" _It had to be done Jaune, you know it."_ The wise and caring voice of Ra came to his comfort to justify his slightly deceitful nature.

"I know Ra, I just wish I could tell them the truth, instead of lying." Jaune said, wishing he could be truthful to someone other than his sister. To be able to rely on them and let them know what he truly is.

" _In time Jaune, you'll be able to tell them the whole truth but you must be patient."_ The calm voice of Baldur chimed in with his thoughts, always being the wisest of his roster, even beating those that were gods of wisdom. Jaune sighed once more, knowing the gods where right. There would be a time and a place to tell them the truth but not just yet, it's too early for that. Jaune finished his morning shower and got dressed before opening the door to be met with a half awake and zombified Pyrrha, who simple muttered a 'good morning' to her partner and then shambled into the bathroom, shutting the door as she did. Jaune blinked a couple of times before shrugging and leaving his team's dorm.

Just as Jaune was about to go out to look for Ren, he stopped in front of team RWBY's dorm and had a small idea as he went over and knocked on their door. The blond host didn't have to wait long as the door was answered by the white haired member of team RWBY.

"Yes? Is there something you need?" Weiss asked as her normal way of speaking, with a professional tone of voice, but underneath it was a faint hint of... friendliness? Jaune wasn't sure what it truly was but it seemed Weiss was more lenient or had a more friendly attitude towards others, which made Jaune quite pleased.

"Sorry for waking you up Weiss, but I was wondering if you and your team wanted to join us for breakfast in the community room down the hall?" Jaune asked as he stifled his laugher as he looked at Weiss's disheveled haired. Just as the heiress was about to answer, she was beaten by a speeding Ruby who opened the door further and jumped on her partner to address her blond friend.

"Breakfast?! We'll take the offer!" The energetic leader of the all-female team said as she was clinging onto Weiss's back.

"Get off of me you oaf!" Weiss said as she tried to shake her leader of her back, although she acted like she was annoyed, Jaune saw a small smile on her face.

"Glad to see you getting along better then yesterday." Jaune stated as Ruby simply giggled and smiled as Weiss attempted to get her off. When she realized that wasn't happening she sighed in frustration and turned to the smirking blond.

"We've come to a... mutual understanding. I'll do my best to be the best partner to her while educating her on how to act like a proper leader. As for her, she'll do her best to be a good leader." Weiss said as Ruby finally climbed down from her back as she brightly smiled.

"Yeah! Mark my words Jaune, team RWBY will be the best team in all of Beacon!" Ruby exclaimed loudly and proudly, to loudly as the next moment she got a pillow to the face for her pride.

"Ruby, it's too early to be screaming at the top of your lungs!" A slightly angry and irritated Yang said as her eyes were now red instead of their standard lilac. Ruby picked up the pillow and charged her sister, saying something about 'retribution' as she did.

"You got some energetic and over the top teammates, expect for Blake." The blond leader said as he laughed at the duo's antics, noting how Blake was on her bed reading her book while eyeing the two down.

"I know but, they seem like very good people. So, I guess I could give them a shot. Anyways, as Ruby had stated so cruelly, we'll gladly take up your offer for a nice breakfast." Weiss politely said with a small smile before closing the door. Jaune smiled to himself, glad to see that Weiss and Ruby were on the path to reconciliation, and because he could hear Weiss shouting at the two sisters to stop their antics before a low thud from a pillow to the face shut her up, making her a causality to the pillow war.

" _It's so nice_ _to see them getting along, glad you went out of your way to help them Jaune."_ The motherly figure of his roster said as she was ever-so-glad to see both Weiss and Ruby being on good terms with each other.

" _What can I say Nut, I can't let their friendship be ruined so easily. Besides, I'll always help out a friend in need, no matter what."_ Jaune internally though, making those that choose him to be a vessel for their powers beam with pride towards their host. Jaune walked down the hallway as he quietly searched for the community room, stopping as he caught the whiff of pancakes nearby. Carefully following the sweet and delightful aroma led Jaune to finally locating the community room. Opening the door to said room blasted Jaune with more wonderful and sweet aromas.

"Guess you didn't hear me when I told you to wait for me before starting." The snarky remark was met with a tilt of the head and a roll of the eyes from the Mistralian ninja.

"You were taking far too long; you must've not been able to operate the shower properly yet." Ren retorted quietly as he mixed more pancake batter, flipping a pancake that was already on the pan and onto a stack of pancakes.

"By the gods, that's a ridiculous amount of pancakes. I don't think all eight of us can eat all of that." Jaune said as he eyed the stack of over a dozen fluffy pancakes, only to be met with a low chuckle from his friend.

"Oh, you thought this were for us? This stack is just for Nora." Ren couldn't see it but Jaune's jaw had hit the floor as he looked the ever increasing number to the stack.

"But, what about us? What are we gonna eat!?" Jaune asked as Ren turn to look at him dead in the eye just so he could shrug his shoulders.

"I don't know, you said you wanted to help, so I thought you'd think of something." Ren turned back to his station of pancakes, hiding the smile that was forming on his stoic face and missing Jaune's face of utter betrayal. Jaune grumbled and muttered to himself that he would get Ren back for this as he ignored Loki's and Apollo's irritating laughter.

The community room was quite spacious, having a small living room to one side with a television while on the other side was a medium sized kitchen and a larger table in the middle to accommodate several teams. Jaune opened the fridge and took out a carton of eggs but he didn't really know what else to make alongside them.

He was planning to make scrambled eggs but he didn't want to make it to plain of a breakfast, so he wanted to add something to them, like a side.

" _How about we make some hearty hash browns?"_ Loki inquired as he had seen some potatoes in the fridge.

" _What are we, five? Let's make something that will give them more energy for the day! Like meat! Lots of meat!"_ Quetzalcoatl loudly shut down Loki's idea, making the Viking god of mischief give him the evil eye.

" _...Or we could just...you know...make both?"_ The ever wise and the voice of reason Baldur said quietly but he was still heard by everyone. Quetzalcoatl and Loki thought about it and hated the fact that the answer was so simple. Jaune chuckled at the antics of the gods within his head and reached into the fridge once more to gather the ingredients and all the cooking supplies he needed. Jaune glanced over at his teammate and noted that he was finished making the huge stack of pancakes for his partner.

"Hey Ren, do you have any leftover batter? I'm thinking of making some scrambled eggs with a side of hash browns and sausages, but I'm really craving pancakes today. How about you make some mini ones with the left over?" Jaune asked as the blacked haired boy stopped to think about it before glancing to the leftover batter before slowly nodding at his leaders idea. Soon, the community room was plagued with lovely aromas from all the wonderful cooking. On one side of the kitchen was Jaune, cooking the scrambled eggs on a rather large pan while on another pan where the hash browns and the sausages, and on the other side of was Ren making the miniature pancakes.

"You seem to know your way around a kitchen and can move around it with ease, where did you learn?" Ren asked as he flipped a couple more mini pancakes.

"My mother and elder sisters taught me. They always said that a girl liked a man who knew how to cook for himself, so they were adamant on teaching me. How about you?" Jaune asked as he carefully flipped the hash browns onto their side.

"My teacher taught me how to cook and how to make several traditional teas and other types of drinks. Although he did try to teach Nora to cook but that...really didn't end all too well." Ren shuddered as he remembered the horrible and severe food poisoning he and his master had to deal with. Jaune thought about it and even he shuddered at the idea of Nora trying to cook and ending up burning the whole kitchen. The only male members of team JNPR glanced at each other and begun laughing, a small mutual understanding between each other was met as they kept cooking. The two boys held smiles of their faces as they reached a small bond with each other while they enjoyed the peaceful and tranquil silence that befell them, which lasted only a few seconds as the door to the room was kicked opened by the 'Y' of team RWBY.

"Damn, it smells great in here! What's cooking good looking?" The blond bombshell said as her sister groan behind her.

"Just making us some healthy and much needed breakfast. Now that you're here, could you help me set the table?" Jaune asked as he and Ren begun to plate up the eggs, hash browns, pancakes, and sausages while Yang took the plates and set them down on the table and Ruby took several glasses out and a carton of orange juice and set them on the table too. Soon, the table was finally set and not a second later the rest of the members of both teams came in and were amazed by the meal prepared for them as they took their sits, team RWBY sat across from their self-proclaimed sister team.

"You made so much you guys! I expected as much from Ren but not from you Jaune, where did you learn to cook?" Nora asked as Ren set down the stack of pancakes in front of her, much to her delight.

"Well, just like how I had told Ren before, I learned from my mother and older sisters, they wanted me to be able to cook for myself...and because they said that girls liked a man who could cook." Jaune admitted as he took his seat beside his partner.

"Well, they weren't wrong, this stuff looks great!" Yang said as she begun to stuff her face with the meal that had been prepared. But a certain red haired partner felt like it was a perfect opportunity to learn a little more about Jaune, seeing how she had already met his mother and twin sister while they were at Mistral.

"You have more sisters besides Joan?" Pyrrha asked as she drew several pairs of eyes to herself as the girls across were curious as to how much the champion knew about Jaune.

"Well, counting Joan, I have seven sisters." Jaune said as he took much pleasure in watching people react to the ridicules number of siblings that he had. Reactions ranged from spitting out their food or almost choking on it such as Nora, Weiss, and Yang, while Ruby's and Pyrrha's eyes went cartoonishly wide as their jaws hit the floor. Ren and Blake were the calmest reactions, as they continued to eat or drink while humming to themselves as if everything about Jaune now made much more sense.

"You have seven sisters?! Did your parents have no other hobbies!" The normally composed Weiss screeched as the table slowly recovered from the small bomb that Jaune dropped.

"My parents always wanted a lot of children, and even more grandkids so that contributed to them having so many. And yes, I do in fact have seven sisters. Going from youngest to oldest, June the youngest, Jane the second youngest, Joan who is my twin sister, which makes her and I the second set of twins, then there is Saphron, then Noir and Blanc the first set of twins, and finally the oldest of us is Janet." Jaune said as he counted and listed his sisters off with his hands. The rest of the table looked at Jaune in awe as he did. Yang grabbed her glass of orange juice and took a sip before she spoke.

"No wonder you came out the way you did." Yang joked as she got the table to laugh and giggle at Jaune's tragic luck of having seven fucking sisters. But Jaune paid it no mind and he laughed alongside them. Jaune felt good to be able to bond with them like they were doing, laughing and enjoying each other's company, having nothing to stress over say for their schoolwork. They continued to eat with the occasional egg pun from Yang, and before long they were cleaning up after themselves before leaving to get to their first class. Jaune smiled as he felt like they grew a little closer as friends, and that brought him much joy...and a little turmoil as he didn't want to betray this trust they were building with a lie such as his true nature and the nature that creatures and magic straight out of fairy tales actually existed out there. But for now, he would keep quiet about that magical world.

* * *

" _Write that down! Write that down! Oh, and that too!_ " Zeus ordered his host to literally write down anything they deemed important from the book provided by professor-sorry-doctor Oobleck. Jaune wasn't here on the first day to experience the hyperactive personality that was Oobleck, since he was out there trying to comfort Ruby and try to convinced Weiss to give Ruby a chance. Jaune really tried to pay attention, but unlike Port where he could decipher his tales into normal lessons about Grimm, Jaune could only gather a single word every so often but it didn't matter as it was only one word for what felt like a whole thesis. This time around, everyone gave up, even Weiss and Pyrrha had given up as they couldn't keep up with the way Oobleck talked. He was like Hermes but if he was jacked up to a thousand and could talk a thousand miles per hour.

" _Well look at the bright side Jaune, at least we get to learn some history from this._ " Ra said as he carefully analyzed the textbook given to the blond host, humming and nodding when he found something mildly interesting. Jaune at some point tuned out the hyper voice of the overly caffeinated doctor and laid his face on the textbook, earning several cries from several gods, primarily from Zeus, Apollo, and Ra. Just as he begun to doze off, a small and quiet buzzing went off on his pocket, making him wake straight back up and subtly reach for his scroll. He expanded it and viewed the newly sent message by his fellow blond.

 _Yang: Hey blondie, thanks for the egg-cellent meal._

Jaune deadpanned at the message and contemplated straight up booing Yang for the pun, but he relented, even though he could hear Yang giggling to herself, seemly proud of her own pun.

 _Jaune: Your welcome. And, for the record, I'll delete your contact if you use terrible puns like those again._

Jaune hit sent and watched as Yang's laugher began to die down as she read the message. She threw a glance over her shoulder and huff angrily.

 _Yang: Killjoy. You sure know how to kill the mood._

 _Jaune: Well, if I killed the mood, then you utterly wiped it off the face of Remnant._

Jaune hit send and instantly heard the telling sharp gasp of air that symbolized the taking of offense, and took slight pleasure in messing with her.

 _Yang: Whatever, I didn't message you to throw insults at each other. I messaged you to thank you._

 _Jaune: Thank me, for what? The breakfast?_

 _Yang: No dummy not that, I already said thanks for that. I'm thanking you for what you did to help out my sister. She told me what you did for her._

Jaune looked at the messaged and threw a glance at Ruby, who was drooling all over her textbook and snoring a little.

 _Jaune: It was nothing. Just encouraged her a little bit and cheered her up, that's all._

 _Yang: You may think so, but you did Ruby a great favor. She doesn't do well in new environments and has trouble making friends. You saw how she was before the Initiation. You really helped her out. She seemed very nervous and pretty quiet yesterday but, next thing you know she comes back that night with stacks of books and a cup of black coffee. She doesn't drink black coffee, ever. Today, she seemed her usual lively self, and for that, I have to thank you._

Jaune smiled softly as he read the lengthy message, chuckling as he did. He really didn't know he had helped and made that much of an impact on the red hood wearing Huntress. He simply did what seemed right, although he debated whether to stick his nose in other's business or not, seeing how perhaps it would've been better for Ruby to take control of the situation and assert her role as leader. But that would've led Weiss to start resenting her, which could breed bitterness between the two. Jaune weaved away the what ifs and was simply glad to be of help to his friends.

"Ms. Xiao Long! Mr. Arc!" Jaune's attention snapped back to reality and to the source that had called him. Jaune lifted his head to see Doctor Oobleck, arms crossed and tapping his foot at a rapid speed.

"May I ask what is it that you and Ms. Xiao Long deemed so important to talk about?" The hyperactive asked as he continued to rapidly tap his foot. Jaune and Yang froze up and simply looked at each other, hoping the other had an excuse to get them out of trouble.

"Are either of you going to speak up?" Jaune saw that Oobleck was getting more impatient as the seconds ticked by, and he had to say something on the fly, before the man got any more upset.

"There...there is a... wolf on the loose in the campus. Well, Yang thinks so as she thought she caught a glimpse of it." Jaune said, cause the doctor to physically recoil at his outlandish excuse. Yang made a face of utter confusion while the rest of her team gave him weird looks, even Ruby, who was awoken by Ooblecks shouts, looked at Jaune like he was crazy. Oobleck took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes and let out a long sigh.

"Mr. Arc, out of all the thousands of excuses I have heard in my whole career as a teacher that is the-" Oobleck stopped himself as he heard the bark of a canine outside in the hall, and his face morphed into one of confusion. The barks grew louder and louder before the sound of paws scurrying away could be heard, with a long and deep howl following it. Oobleck looked to were the barking and howling came from before turning to Jaune, who was trying, and failing, to hide a wide grin. Everyone in the class seemed perplexed and was having difficulty understanding how Jaune's extremely outlandish excuse seemingly became true. First it was Port's magically appearing cage, now Jaune. Yang looked at Jaune with awe and with a face of astonishment, while the black and white of team RWBY looked at Jaune with more confusion. Nora and Ruby were giggling at the whole situation, with the red headed warrior losing her cool and edging into joining them and Ren was stoically laughing to himself in amusement. Oobleck narrowed his eyes for a second before returning to normal a second later and proceeded to put his glasses back on.

"Well, it appears that you were telling the truth, Mr. Arc. I shall proceed to inform security about our unwanted friend. I thank you both, Ms. Xiao Long and Mr. Arc for bringing this to my attention, if you hadn't, I fear that someone might have gotten injured." The doctor said as he straighten up his tie and marched down, pulling up his scroll and dialing a number. Jaune sat right down, still getting odd stares from his fellow classmates and from some of his friends too.

" _HAHA! That was amazing, Jaune! No, it wasn't just amazing! It was brilliant! Did you see his face? It was priceless. I approve of your method, but I would've gone with the excuse that a snake was on the ceiling and then make him look up to see Jörmungandr."_ Loki praised Jaune's actions as he petted his loyal child Fenrir, who had just return after saving Jaune's ass.

" _Trickster, don't encourage this type of behavior!"_ Nut protested at Loki's attempt to 'corrupt' Jaune with his trickster nature. Loki just laughed it off which earned him several slaps from the goddess, which he took as he laughed his Norse-ass off. Oobleck finished talking on his scroll and turn back to his class.

"Now class, security has been alerted of the...wolf threat, and will be looking for it. But seeing as you are all Huntsmen-in-training, you should be able to handle a mere wolf. So, stay on high alert. Now, let's go back to our lesson shall we?" The doctor returned back to his regular self and begun to teach once more, making the rest of the class to go back to sleeping or just ignoring him. Jaune paid a little attention but was simply allowing the gods to read his textbook, but like before, a small buzzing went off and made him go for his scroll again.

 _Yang: Thanks for the save!_

 _Jaune: Don't worry about it. Now, let's try to pay attention before we get caught again. I won't save you again._

Jaune typed out, feeling like Oobleck's eyes were still somehow on him even though he was zooming around the class at Mach five. Jaune simply ignore it and laughed quietly as Yang replied with a bunch of angry faces. Jaune collapsed his scroll and turn back to the enigma of deciphering what Oobleck was talking about, which would be grueling and would test all of his mental fortitude and ability to endure.

* * *

"Stay down you metallic piece of arghhh!" The leader of the all-male team shouted before being interrupted by an electric baton to the back, causing him to fall to his knees and drop his weapon as he screamed in pain. The training droid pulled back his weapon from the boy's back, leaving him a huffing and disheveled mess.

"Your aura levels have reached thirty, therefore the match is over. You managed to last five and a half minutes but you only accomplished that by sheer endurance. You only managed to destroy a handful of droids. Your weapon and armor make you a tank but when faced with several fast moving opponents, you're nothing but their punching bag. I suggest you change that, Mr. Winchester." The cold and levelheaded voice of the combat instructor harshly lectured the young Huntsman as he picked up his mace off the floor.

"I understand, Professor Goodwitch, I'll work on it." Cardin said with a determined voice before taking a polite bow to Glynda Goodwitch, before taking his leave from the area. Jaune watched as the boy climbed up into where his team was waiting, earning a round of cheers and compliments from them for being the only one to last so long from their team. Jaune then turned back to the arena that had several training droids on it and on the side on standby, waiting for Goodwitch's order to join the fray.

From what he'd been told by Pyrrha, Glynda was conducting a same test to evaluate their combat prowess, with them being tested on endurance and efficiency to dispatch enemies. The endurance part was evaluated by how long the individual was able to last before their aura dropped to thirty and the other part was graded by how many droids you could destroy before the match ended. Due to this being a large test, it was already on its second day, from an estimated three. All of his friends had already gone up, with each having a wide array of results, with Ren and Blake being the ones with the lowest times and lowest kill counts from their circle of friends. This caused both ninjas to go into a silent brooding state which then triggered their respective partners to attempt to lift their spirits. Up next was Ruby and Weiss, who were in the same tier.

Both of them had the speed and strength to dish out powerful attacks that helped them secure droid kills but had almost no endurance what-so-ever. After them were the two bombshells of both teams, Yang and Nora, who had the killing power to rack up kills and the endurance to take heavy punishment. And finally, Pyrrha, who had gone first yesterday and managed to secure herself more than ten minutes as her score and several dozens of kills, making her the one holding the number one spot. Which Jaune was hoping to steal, or at least mange to make Pyrrha aware that some have the talent to catch up with her. He knew that she felt like she didn't have much competition, and not in an arrogant way.

Jaune had already seen that she enjoyed having a challenge, he saw it when he watched her compete in Mistral's tournament, she enjoyed that thrill because she doesn't experience it very often. This was confirmed when Nora and Yang were up and were closing in on Pyrrha's spot, and when they were attempting to dethrone her of her number one spot, Jaune noticed a smile of excitement. So, if Pyrrha wanted a competition and a challenge, he would give it to her.

"Next participant will be Mr. Arc. Please step down and prepare yourself for combat." Glynda ordered as Jaune stood up, armor and weapons already on his person. He got a round of cheers and 'fight wells' from his friend along with a small little flag that Ruby had somehow acquired which had his name on it. Jaune walked down the idle and jumped down into the arena.

"Hey, blondie! I have a hundred Lien on you that you surpass the eight minute mark! Don't let me down!" Cardin shouted as he gave Jaune two thumbs up for encouragement, which Jaune chuckled and gave a salute for confirmation.

" _He seems friendly, right? Perhaps we should talk to him more."_ Hephaestus noted as some of the other gods agreed. Jaune made a mental note to talk to him some other day but he put that off for now as he reached the center of the arena, facing the cold Goodwitch as she typed away at her tablet making Jaune's face pop up on a big screen with his aura percentage right below it and a small timer to its left.

"Is the combatant ready?" Goodwitch asked as her finger hovered over her tablet, awaiting for Jaune's respond of confirmation. The blond host took a deep breath before drawing his sword and expanded his shield, giving a small nod to Glynda, who in turn press a commanded on her device and begun the onslaught. Not a second later after the match began, Jaune blocked an incoming baton with his shield and easily dispatched a droid with a quick stab to its side. Jaune looked at the rest of his metallic opponents, whom wielded a verity of weapons, such as batons, axes, swords, spears, among other weapons that the school armory could provide. Jaune withdrew his sword from the droid's side and kicked him into a group of droids that were trying to rush him.

" _Watch your back."_ Baldur warn, serving as his eyes and ears to any attacks from his flank. Jaune spun on his heel and swung his sword in a wide arc, decapitating the head of a droid in one flawless attack. The blond let a pulse of his aura go through his sword, awakening the strange and magical flame properties on the runes on it, courtesy of the strange ore that Sully gave him. Jaune swung down and cleaved half of another droid, parrying an attack with his shield from his left and kicking another metal enemy with an aura infused kick, before turning his attention to the half cleaved opponent and making the flames heat rise, allowing him to start melting through him. He melted through his metal inners and turned to return to combat but was met with an electrified baton to his mid-section, making him grit his teeth as he endured the pain momentarily before switching over to Zeus, allowing the electricity to run through him before discharging right back his attacker.

" _You must be getting slower by the day if you allowed that to hit you."_ Quetzalcoatl taunted, watching as Jaune dodged another baton aimed for his face and returning the favor with a lightning bolt to the droids face. Jaune grunted at the Aztec god remark and rolled to the side from a spear rush, putting up his shield to stop an axe to the neck and proceeding to cleaving at the axe users feet before rising from his kneeling position and stabbing it through the chest. Jaune got back to his feet but didn't stay still for long as he shot forward and grabbed one of the training droids and flew up into the air before violently sending him crashing into the ground, taking some of his metallic brethren as it crashed. Jaune continued to do this tactic for a few more time to allow him to evaluate the situation properly.

" _You're outnumbered Jaune, that much is cleared. They aren't fast but they can take a hit before going down. I suggest we attempt to take them from a distance and drop some weight too."_ Baldur pointed out as the droids begun to fire at Jaune's flying form. Although the gods were willing to help Jaune grow in his combat prowess, they did after Jaune got his ass handed to him and would give him tips and advice on what he did wrong and what he could improve on, with Baldur being the only one that actually helped him in active battle

" _Then let's lose some weight."_ Jaune replied to the Norse god, dodging incoming fire and swooping down onto the arena flawlessly, summoning the power of Hephaestus and lunging Crocea Mors at the wave of droids like a javelin, piercing two and lodging itself into a third one's chest. The blond host collapsed his shield back into his sheath form before pulling Theós from its holster and firing at the wave of droids that were coming at him. Jaune then simply thought of a command for Crocea Mors and successfully dislodged it and begun to command it to begin cutting down droids without his help. This is due to Jaune being able to control the flames that the runes created on his sword, efficiently controlling his sword at a distance like he had telekinesis. Off on the sidelines, his friends cheered on for him with all their might.

* * *

"Look at Jaune go! He is using all the tricks he has up his sleeve." Yang said as she began to get to cheer even louder, hoping her fellow blond could hear her over the sound of him fighting.

"Wait, I'm confused, so Jaune's semblance is fire and lightning based? But that doesn't explained the ability to fly." Ruby commented as she saw the flaming Crocea Mors fight and slaughter the training droids as if it had a mind of its own, while Jaune kept firing and reloading.

"You'd be right, Ruby. That also doesn't explain the snake from yesterday or how he became invulnerable to the Deathstalker's stinger." Ren pointed out to the events that they had witness, finding that none of those things really connect to Jaune's ability of fire and lightning manipulation.

"He can also summoned a wolf called Fenrir, if I remember correctly." Pyrrha through in her two-cents as she remembered the first time she met Jaune at their shop for the blacksmiths festival in Mistral, remembering how the wolf had forcefully dragged him to meet her and her family.

"That brings up the question. Just what is Jaune's semblance that allows him to do all of this and bring him nightmares almost nightly." Ren said in a hushed tone but it drew their attention away from the fight and onto him.

"Nightmares? Jaune has nightmares...because of his own semblance." The stoic Faunus-in-hiding said as she turned back to Jaune's fight, who was still fairing off well with his new tactic.

"Yes. I don't know all the details, but his semblance causes him to experience vivid nightmares that seem to trouble him even after being awake." The ninja said as he watched his leader morph his revolver into a bowie knife and beginning to stab a droid who had gotten to close in the face like a desperate madman before once more kicking him away into the crowd and switching back to his tactic of shooting.

"Just how vivid are they?" Weiss asked quietly, hoping to keep the whole thing on the down low since this was invading on Jaune's personal life and privacy.

"The first time I met Jaune was in the bullhead over to Beacon. He'd momentarily fallen asleep and immediately began to experience a nightmare. I'm not sure what it was about but it seemed that even after it had passed, it troubled him deeply. Then, the morning of Initiation, I saw him wake up very early soaked in sweat. I haven't heard of a semblance that can cause it's user to have nightmares, and Jaune still hasn't mentioned anything about it." Ren spoke softly, recounting the two times that he'd seen Jaune's semblance affect him, purposely failing to mention today's events. Both team RWBY and Jaune's team took in the revelation of Jaune's mysterious semblance and its effects that it has on him quietly, making it so that a tense and uncomfortable to settle upon them as they watch their friend and leader fight for dear life.

"Then we ask him about it. Simple as that. We ask about his semblance and then about his nightmares." The young crimsonette said as she crossed her arms and leaned back into her chair.

"Ruby, we can't just waltz up to him and ask him about personal stuff like that! It's not exactly right, what if when we ask about his nightmares we make him remember even more of the trauma that caused them!" Weiss screeched at her partners lack of proper manners.

"Well, I think you and I own him for what he did for us yesterday. He helped us with our falling-out, didn't he? It might not be proper to ask him about it but I don't want to see his health decline. We, as his friends, should help him in any way we can." Ruby retorted, making the heiress open and close her mouth like a fish at her leader's logic.

"Then we can hold a small gathering! We might be friends but we don't know much of each other, so...let's make it seem like we just wanna learn more of each other! This will make it so that Jaune tells us about his semblance naturally, which could lead to him telling us about his nightmare problem. And what's better, we get to learn more of our new friends and grow closer together!" The orange haired bomber proposed excitedly and loudly. The white heiress was about to refute her idea before falling short with anything to say. The colorful band of friends stared at Nora like she'd said something crazy but couldn't refute her logic either.

"Well done, Nora, that is a perfect idea that could work. You always come through when someone is stuck with a problem." Ren said as he smiled softly and praised Nora's intelligence, happy to see it in action in front of their new friends. Nora blushed slightly at the praise but giggled, nonetheless.

"It's settled then! We'll invite team RWBY to our dorm and tell him that it's a small get together to simply get to know each other more." The Amazonian warrior pleasantly stated, glad that a solution was reached in no time.

"That sounds like a great idea, Pyrrha. I'm sure Jaune would like it, since he has proven to care for both us and you guys too. I think he'd want for us to grow closer together." Blake said calmly, earning a soft smile from the Amazonian, but was internally worried and in turmoiled since this was the perfect opportunity to tell her team about her true heritage, but at the same time she was terrified of them rejecting her, but to help her feel a glimmer of comfort, Blake knew that Jaune would be there and would support her, at least, she hoped he would. Both teams turn their attention back to Jaune's battle, now with the determination and the plan to find answers about him and to help him if they can.

* * *

" _Jaune, you have to stop using Hephaestus's power soon, before you begin to experience its drawbacks."_ Baldur warned as his host fired six more rounds into the metal skulls of the droids, cursing as he commanded Crocea Mors to come back to him. Said sword sliced a droids head cleanly off before going back to its master, but just as it was almost in Jaune's grasp, a droid broke into a sprint and decked Jaune hard enough to send him flying. Jaune bounced several times before finally coming to a halt, quickly recovering and getting back to his feet.

" _What will you do without a weapon, Jaune?"_ Loki taunted as the blond noticed that he'd dropped Theós along the way and was now out the fighting ring, and Crocea Mors was being held in place by a droid's foot. Just as the blond host was thinking of a plan to get back either of his weapons, a droid with daggers rushed him, getting in several hits before it got a fist full of pressurized air that hit like a bus.

' _There isn't time to do anything. I don't have room to breathe. I just gotta make do with what I have until I find an opening.'_ Jaune thought as he saw several more droids sprinting at him with more daggers and spears. Jaune's eyes snapped back and forward through all his incoming enemies, allowing them to get near to him before switching over to Nut and allowing himself to fall backwards, hoping his plan would work. Jaune flew backwards into his own shadow as daggers and spears stabbed into the ground where he once was. The droids, the audience, Jaune's friends, and even Glynda seemed perplexed at what had just happened. Seconds later, Jaune reappeared via the shadow of a droid and grabbed his head and torn it right off with the might and strength of Baldur, chuckling to himself as he finally got to use Nut's powers. He didn't waste any time as he jumped into the metallic fray of droids, using punches, kicks and all the close-quarte-combat that he knew. He delivered a blow to a droids med-sections before roundhouse kicking him, turning just in time to notice another droid with a spear charging him. Seeing the perfect opportunity to get a weapon, Jaune sped to meet him and closed the distance between them as he dodged the long weapon, and in that moment Jaune's heart sank.

In one fluid motion, he brought down his elbow on the spear, breaking it with a loud snap that drowned out every other noise in the room. Jaune spun on his heel and slit the throat of a Greek soldier, watching as he once more feebly clung onto life as he grabbed his throat, staring him dead in the eye. Jaune's world began to spin around him, a wave of dizziness washing over him along with a pounding headache. A pit began to grow in his chest and he could barely breathe, almost as if the room had been starved of all oxygen.

" _Jaune! Snap out of it!"_ Baldur shouted, making Jaune return to reality just in time to get a metal fist to the face, which launched him several feet back and making him land on his back. The blond host tried to get up, still having difficulty breathing and telling what was up and what was down.

"I surrender! I-I surrender." Jaune weakly called out as the approaching droids came to a halt. He began to slowly get up, catching his breath in the way up and catching a glimpse of the supposed soldier's throat he'd slit, realizing it was just another stupid droid.

"Mr. Arc, is everything alright? You were doing well during the fight. You could've beaten Ms. Valkyrie time and kill count if you continued like you were doing." Glynda commented, carefully observing Jaune as he held a hand to his chest, breathing in and out slowly.

"I'm sorry Ms. Goodwitch, I just got very tried and exhausted, that's all." Jaune replied with apologetic look, finally gathering his bearings and returning to being able to breath properly. Glynda eyed Jaune for a little bit more before telling him to retrieve his weapons and to head back to his sit. Jaune, like Cardin, politely bowed and did as he was told.

" _Jaune, it was just a droi-"_

" _I know they were just droids! I know that I can rip their head, tear their arms and stab them all I want, and that they wouldn't feel a single thing! I'm not worried over that, it's the fact that I pulled that move without thinking. It was like it was engraved into my muscle memory after that nightmare in the Trojan War."_ Jaune internally ranted, causing whomever spoke to fall silent at his outburst. Externally, Jaune looked calm and collected as he neared his group of friends who were complimenting him on his score, smiling with his normal goofy smile.

" _What if...what if next time it's an actual person. What if I take their live just like I did back in that nightmare. I'm not ready to go through that, I really don't wanna go through that anytime soon."_ Jaune continued addressing the gods, hoping that they would understand where he was coming from but the gods didn't say or do anything. Jaune held a smile on his face as he talked with his friends, but internally he felt nothing but fear. He stayed quiet for the remainder of the next matches, only speaking up when someone addressed him, even then he only spoke in short replies, causing his friends to grow concern but they didn't show it.

* * *

Jaune sighed as he finished taking a nice relaxing and warm shower, allowing himself to calm down from the events that had transpired today. The day had started off shitty with the nightmare involving Typhon, then it got better as Jaune felt that Ren and him bonded over their past and their time cooking together, then it got even better as he saw that Ruby and Weiss were on good terms. Everything was going great, everything seemed to be looking up for Jaune, but it was just that single moment during his fight that really fucked him up for the rest of the day.

Now, all he thinks of is the fact that he may end up performing that maneuver on someone, someone who was alive. Thankfully Jaune was ready to just forget it all and head to bed to get a well earn rest, that is if he doesn't have another nightmare. The blond leader stepped out the shower and proceeded to dry himself and get changed into his nightwear, heading over to exit the bathroom after being done. Nearing the door allowed the blond to hear several people talking, which made him curious as he could hear seven voices instead of just three. The blond leader opened the door to see his teammates along with team RWBY sitting on the floor, munching on a small variety of drinks and snacks.

"Oh finally! You're done with your shower! Now we can begin the party!" Nora exclaimed with much glee as she took one of Ruby's cookies and ate it, having said crimsonette protest as she did.

"Party? What are you talking about?" Jaune questioned as he playfully narrowed his eyes at the group and cautiously eyed them for answers.

"It was both Nora's and Pyrrha's idea. They thought it would've been a good idea to have a small get together to learn more of each other, since we're quote-on-quote, sister teams." Weiss answered in her ever so professional demeanor, while making air quotes. Jaune made an 'oh' face and turned to both the culprits.

"Maybe we should've told you first but after your fight ended, it kind of slipped our mind. Sorry." The red haired Amazonian apologized to her leader, but the other culprit simply giggled and gave off a not-so-apologetic grin. The victim of the surprise party let out a long and tiresome sigh before grabbing a bag of chips and sitting down on the floor like everyone else.

"Although I feel like my authority was violated and discarded aside, I'll let this one slide." Jaune said as he began to munch on his unhealthy snack, watching as the rooms tension dissipated and everyone else let out of small breath of relief. And with their last member finally joining them, the party began as Ruby went and took the helm and introduced herself, what her semblance, where she was from, her weapon Crescent Rose, which promptly led to her talking about her hobby of weapons before geeking out about all of their weapons.

Yang followed right after her and did the same thing but added the fact that her and Ruby were half-sisters, having the same father but different mothers. Jaune would've asked but the gods promptly stopped him and told him that right now wasn't the time for that. They didn't want him to ruin the happy mood that they had right now. After the sisterly duo finished, Weiss went up and presented herself and went on talk about herself a small bit before ending her turn to allow someone else to go up.

"I believe that it is my turn to speak. My name is Lie Ren but I rather be called Ren. I hail from Mistral, as does Nora. I have some pretty boring hobbies to be perfectly honest. I cook, I read books, and I sometimes make tea. My weapon is Stromflower and semblance is the ability to mask negative emotions. As you have seen and witness, Jaune." Ren said, hoping to instigate a comment from Jaune about his nightmares, but Jaune just casually munched on his bag of chips and nodded in confirmation.

Up next just Pyrrha and Nora, one of which simply summarized the important details and was quick on her turn, while the other went on a long and very much outlandish tale and took her time to explain everything and anything and she took her sweet time doing so. While Nora kept talking about how she wished she could keep an owl as a pet for various reason, Jaune noticed that Blake was stiff, looking almost like an unmoving pillar. Her hands were trembling and she went pale as Ren finally told Nora to let someone else go, causing all eyes to shift their attention to her and Jaune. Jaune lightly nudged the raven haired hair to speak up, seeing how he had stuffed his face with more junk food and couldn't talk. The room fell victim of a deafening silence as Blake sat there without saying a word, shaking slightly as she gathered her courage and her resolve.

"Well, my name is Blake Belladonna. I really don't have many hobbies apart from reading and liking seafood. My weapon is called Gambol Shroud and my semblance is called Shadow and allows me to create a clone of myself, and..." Blake hesitated a bit, looking at the blond host across from her, who had put down his precious junk food and had given Blake his undivided attention. Jaune smiled a warm and kind smile, giving a reassuring aura while mouthing 'you can do it.' Blake closed her eyes and took a deep breath before taking her hand and hovering over her bow.

"I think it's better if I just show you." Her hands wavered before they tighten around her bow and yanked it off, exposing her Faunus traits to her friends and teammates. Blake opened her eyes to see the shocked and surprised expressions, except for Jaune who simply smiled. The shock effect lasted for about a couple seconds before Nora broke all semblances of tension.

"That's so awesome! Ren, do you know what this means! She is the first Faunus friend that we have ever made!" Nora exclaimed as she bolted towards the raven haired Faunus and proceeded to violently shake her hand. "I hope we can be very good friends!" Blake felt like her arm was rapidly turning into jelly from Nora's handshake.

"They look so cute and fluffy! Why didn't you tell us?" Ruby says as she reaches over to her teammate, who allows her to touch and feel her ears for a brief second before pulling away quickly.

"It's obvious, isn't it? She didn't tell you guys because she was scared of being treated like the other Faunus. She feared that she'd be discriminated. Some more than others." Jaune commented, as he glanced at Weiss for a moment to make his statement clear. The mentioned heiress kept her head low as she dealt with an inner struggle. On one hand, she was happy that Blake trusted her and all of them enough that she would be willing to tell them her secret, but on the other hand, the hatred filled teachings and the bad experiences that she has dealt with involving the White Fang and other Faunus has not painted a good picture for her.

"You feared that I would hate you, didn't you? Because of my family, Because I'm a Schnee," Weiss pauses as she sees Blake look down and nod her head in confirmation. Weiss looks down in shame before huffing and straighten her posture before returning to addressing Blake. "Well, I'm not my father. I'm more than him, better than him. Although I've had some bad run-ins with the Faunus, I, Weiss Schnee, intend to one day take over my father's company and turn it around. I don't hate all the Faunus, I just hate the White Fang for what they've done to my family." Weiss says failing to notice the somber look on Blake's face. Jaune felt like a battle had been won today in favor of Blake, but he still felt like the war she was fighting in was long from being over.

"Thank you. You had no idea how terrified I was of being rejected, I guess you were right, Jaune." Blake said, wiping the tears that had formed on the corners of her eyes. It felt like a huge load had been taken off her shoulders but a small weight still lingered on; the weight of the White Fang. Weiss and the others had accepted her for being a Faunus, but the same wouldn't apply for the days she spent as a terrorist and agent for the White Fang. Blake would rather have this bliss and wonderful chance to forget about her past then to risk losing her friends over it.

"Hold on, hold on, Jaune knew about it before any of us? How?" Yang asked, eyeing the blond boy down. Jaune laughed and scratched the back of his head, explaining that he met Blake while he stayed in Mistral for a festival, twisting the story to make it seem like she was a customer and leaving out the part where he rescued her from the White Fang protest that had occur during the day they met.

"And that's how I met her. Back then, she wasn't wearing a bow to cover her cat ears up. But, that's enough of the past, it's my turn. My name is Jaune Arc, my weapons are my family heirloom Crocea Mors and Theós, and my semblance is Spectral Necromancy. It's the ability to borrow the powers of ghost." The blond host said without hesitation, using the same lie he had used against his father and the Beacon staff.

"Spectral what now? How does that fit in with you being able to use lightning and fire?" Ruby asked, slightly confused at the explanation provided. The others were skeptical at first but after thinking about it a little, it was a possibility.

"It's rather simple, Ruby. His power allows him to see spirits of those who have long since passed, this allows him to leech off of their semblances and use them as his own. Would that be correct, Jaune?" Weiss theorized, hoping that her explanation was accurate to the functions of his semblance.

"Yes, but at the same time, you are slightly incorrect, Weiss. My semblance works as a one-way lane. The ghost are the ones that come to me and offer a small portion of their soul, which then continues to live on inside of me. I know it's a crazy concept to understand, but that's my semblance." Jaune explained like he'd done so many times before. Jaune hoped that if his lie could work and if they could accept it, he could someday tell them the whole truth about the gods and everything else. The colorful merry band of Huntsmen-in-training glanced at each other and were lost in thought, seemingly still coming to terms to the half-truth that Jaune had dropped on them.

"Well, I believe you, Jaune. You don't have any reasons to lie about it, so I believe you." Ruby said, prompting the others to nod and reassure him that they believed him. Jaune smiled but felt a knot twisting in his chest, causing him to feel bad for lying to his friends.

"Thanks, I'm glad you trust me this much. Now, I think I should tell you about the drawback that my semblance causes, my nightmares." Jaune said, drawing everyone's attention onto himself. "As I've already stated, my semblance allows me to...host a small piece of the ghost's soul. This inadvertently makes it so that their memories and experiences begin to leak into my subconscious. The nightmares are just those memories coming into my mind." Jaune explained making his situation clear to his friends. He might've not said it outright but Jaune made it clear that there was no way to stop or deal with them in any way.

"Is there something that you can do to stop them?" The ever-so hopeful Ruby asked, praying that something could be used to stop the nightmares, but in respond Jaune simply shook his head before speaking up again.

"There isn't anything that I can do. Their memories, something that is almost impossible to tinker with. All I can do is endure them and hope that someday the memories stop coming." Jaune said bluntly, causing the gods to feel atrocious about themselves. Over on the more mortal plane, Jaune's friends felt like they were failing Jaune as a friend and as a team but like he had stated, they couldn't do anything about it.

"There might not be anything we can do to stop them entirely from happening, but what we can do is to make sure you have someone that you can rely on. We are here to help you Jaune, so if you ever need to talk to somebody, then come to us." Ren said with a kind smile, accompanied by reassuring smiles and thumbs up showing their support. Tears threaten to escape from Jaune's eyes but he held them back and laughed and smiled at the amazing luck that had been given to him; first the gods, and now his incredible and supportive friends. It's all he could've ever asked for. The party continued well passed curfew, and until the late hours of the morning. They continued to chat with each other, getting to know about each other's hobbies, likes, and dislikes and anything else brought up during the conversation. The group partied and goofed around until they tired themselves out from eating junk food, playing games and watching movies. Soon, only the original residence of the dorm remained to clean up before being defeated by exhaustion and clocking into their beds. Jaune fell asleep without a problem, a smile still plastered on his face, ever so grateful for his friends. That night Jaune slept peacefully without having nightmares, allowing him to rest well in what felt like an eternity.

...

...

...

A young man with ashen hair strolled through the crimson forest, silently moving and ever so watchful of his surroundings. The boy stopped in front of a large tree and knelt beside it, brushing away some leaves and sticks to fine a small parchment letter underneath it all. He smiled before taking the letter and stashing it away in his person.

"Askeladden? Are you there? Ash please answer me." A sweet and concern female voice whisper loud enough for him to hear it. The young man, now known as Askeladden, was startled by his partner's sudden appearance but calmed down enough from the initial fright to call out.

"Dahlia, what are you doing out here? Why aren't you at the camp?" Askeladden asked, squinting as the figure of his partner became more visible under the moon lit forest. Dahlia narrowed her deep magenta eyes at her ashen friend and cocked an eyebrow up.

"What are you doing out here?" Dahlia asked was more curious then angry at her friend. Askeladden took the letter out without a moment's hesitation and got a confused reaction before realization dawned on her.

"Did the Vulpes finally answer back?" Dahlia asked, knowing the answer quite well as Askeladden nodded his head like a child in a candy store. It had been a very long time since they received any updates from Vulpes, a mysterious figure that found them and their camp in the Forever Fall Forest and began to provide them with Lien to be able to survive with. This allowed them to get by while they lived in the forest and waited for Onyx's return.

"I heard a noise that woke me up and decided to check what it was. When I found nothing, I felt compelled to see if our dear friend Vulpes had come, lo-and-behold Vulpes came and delivered to us." Askeladden smiled as he noticed the excited expression that his partner had. "But, let's save it for tomorrow morning. Let's head over back to our camp." Dahlia nodded at his idea and both trotted back to camp as quickly as they could so that they could rest and read the letter from their ally.

* * *

 **Author's Note**

 **Hello, not dead, once more. I have no idea how many times I must apologize for taking so long to update the story, but I feel compelled to do it every time. So, sorry. This could've probably been released much earlier but there were some things that prevented that. Anyway, onto my small talk about the chapter. This chapter is sort of like filler. Acting like a small set up for the Beacon Arc, as well as to serve the characters as a chapter for bonding. As you read, the chapter was focused on Jaune and the others growing as friends. This also sets up other things for the future and what is to come. Next chapter will be dealing with Cardin and the events of the Forever Fall forest, also, in the original draft/idea for this, I wanted Cardin to be the other Host that was in Beacon. I wanted him to act like a sort of mentor to Jaune and help him along. If I would've gone with that, Cardin would've been very OOC and I decided to not go with that** **but I will build up Jaune's and Cardin's friendship later on.** **Also, the two new characters are a part of Onyx's faction. I tried very hard to come up with creative names for them. Askeladden is from Norwegian folktales and his names means Ash Lad, so if you see him being called Ash, you already know why. As for Dahlia, I based her name from the Black Dahlia flower, which can be black, magenta, and among other pretty colors. If you noticed too, I deleted my other story dealing with the SCP mythos because I wanna change it to be something else. I apologize to those that liked that story but I didn't really like it and wish to take it up a new road. I will be starting Highschool once more so be patient with me. So, yeah, that was the chapter. I really hope you enjoyed it. Please leave a comment or some constructive criticism, and PM if you have any advice for me.**


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